Surgical salvage therapy for malignant intrathoracic metastases from nonseminomatous germ cell cancer of testicular origin: analysis of a single-institution experience.

Background: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by surgical extirpation of residual benign disease represents the usual sequence of curative therapy for metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell cancer of testicular origin. Occasionally, residual disease is malignant in the form of either a persistent nonseminomatous germ cell cancer tumor or degeneration into non-germ cell cancer. We reviewed our institution's experience with patients undergoing salvage operations to remove malignant intrathoracic metastases.