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New study has found testicular cancer survivors need only be monitored with CT scans for two years following treatment instead of five.
Scientists looked at the cases of about 1,000 testicular cancer patients who had been treated for metastatic disease, or cancer that had spread.
Scientists at the University of Calgary collected data from about 1,000 metastatic testicular cancer patients over a 12-year period and found that there was a 98 per cent cure rate for those men who were free of the disease two years after diagnosis and treatment.
“This is a paradigm shift for men with advanced testicular cancer,” said Dr. Daniel Heng, a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Oncology. “For many cancers, the five year mark has been the gold standard. Only when you’ve passed the five-year mark are you thought to be at a very low risk of relapse.
“Now with metastatic testicular cancer, after the two-year mark you’re considered golden. This is much more reassuring for patients as opposed to waiting five years.”
As a result of the findings, guidelines on disease surveillance are changing. American guidelines have already been changed and this week Alberta guidelines changed as well.
“That actually relieves a lot of anxiety for a patient,” said Heng. “And now we can tell them, after two years, if you’re good, you’re probably golden and you don’t need any more CT scans.”
Patients recovering from the disease typically have a CT scan every three months in the first year, every four to six months in the second and annually after that for five years following treatment.
Researchers say the new study now suggests that monitoring the patient through CT scans can be discontinued after two years of disease-free survival along with the associated blood tests and physical exams.
Doctors say the best defence is still a strong offence and men should conduct regular self-checks regardless of whether they’ve had a cancer diagnoses or not.
Agencies/Canadajournal
