Management of an accidental mass in a monorchidic patient discovered during infertility: a case report

Abstract

Testicular cancer is the most frequent type of cancer in the young adult men, it is relatively rare. Infertility is an important risk factor for testicular cancer, with a doubled risk of developing cancer compared to the general population. The standard treatment for testicular cancer is the radical orchiectomy, but partial orchiectomy or testicular sparing surgery (TSS) is indicated for small masses, as many experiences, have shown that many small masses found incidentally turn out to be benign. Case presentation: The authors report the case of a patient presented for primary infertility, a clinical examination for left-sided gynecomastia without inflammatory signs. A testicular MRI revealed a 7 mm suspicious nodule in the posterior-inferior aspect of the right testicle, with contrast enhancement in the juxta-tumoral area corresponding to a heterogeneous area on ultrasound. Due to the lesion described on MRI, monorchidism, and azoospermia, a TSS combined with testicular biopsy and testicular sperm extraction was indicated. Clinical discussion: The reference treatment for testicular cancer is the radical orchiectomy, but in some selected situations, partial orchiectomy or TSS is indicated, as many experiences have shown that many small masses found incidentally turn out to be benign. Conclusion: This case suggests that TSS or partial orchiectomy for small nonpalpable testicular masses in monorchidic patients can provide an excellent outcome for the patient.