THE EXCRETION OF CHORIONIC GONADOTROPHIN BY MEN WITH TESTICULAR TUMOURS

Abstract

The excretion of HCG by 240 men with testicular tumours was investigated using the female toad Xenopus-laevis as the test animal. Men with choriocar-cinoma excreted up to 2000 000 IU HCG per litre, an amount comparable to that produced by women with choriocarcinoma. Eight men with tumours described as seminoma were shown, by means of this biological test, to be excreting large amounts of HCG. This method is particularly useful in establishing the presence of chorionic tissue in testicular tumours and enables a more accurate diagnosis to be made. Thirty eight of the 47 men who excreted HCG are dead and such methods of treatment as castration followed by X-irradiation of the abdomen and chest or hypophysis, hypophysectomy or the use of methotrexate were ineffective. The prognosis for men who excrete HCG is very poor and the disease is rapidly fatal.