Postoperative reduction of serum beta-HCG in testicular seminoma.

Serum beta-HCG and urinary HCG were measured in 17 patients with histologically proved pure seminoma of the testis. The patients have been followed to date for 10 to 74 months after orchiectomy, and have no residual disease or recurrence of their disease. Preoperative urinary HCG levels were abnormal in 9 patients (53%). Serum beta-HCG levels were slightly elevated in 6 out of 12 patients evaluated, and were reduced after orchiectomy even in patients with preoperative normal beta-HCG levels (P less than 0.05). Preoperative levels of the tumour marker in seminoma were far lower than in patients with non-seminomatous germ cell tumours, but it would not be rare to see a small amount of HCG produced by the tumour cells in the seminoma.