Haematogenous tumour growth in the inferior vena cava in a patient with a nonseminomatous testicular tumour.

The case history is reported of a patient with an invasion of the inferior vena cava by metastases of a non-seminomatous testicular tumour. He was treated with combination chemotherapy, followed by laparotomy and resection of residual tumour tissue. Fourteen months after this operation he is in good health. For every retroperitoneal lymph node dissection it is necessary to be on the look-out for invasion of the vena cava, because of the risk of a sudden pulmonary embolism.