A new study shows that testicular cancer can be successfully treated with less rounds of chemotherapy.
The recent study, published in the journal European Urology, contained 246 patients and was carried out by the Institute of Cancer Research and London and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Patients who were thought to be at high risk of cancer coming back were given just one course of chemotherapy. Two years later, the cancer had only recurred in only 1.3% of men. This is roughly the same number as those having the standard two courses.
Commenting on the Study, Professor Robert Huddart, from the Institute of Cancer Research, said: “Reducing the overall dose of chemotherapy could spare young men who have their whole lives ahead of them from long-term side-effects, and also means they will need fewer hospital visits for their treatment.”
Another scientist at the Institute, Professor Emma Hall, said: “Our study has found strong evidence to suggest that testicular cancer chemotherapy can be safely reduced from two cycles to just one - making their treatment shorter, kinder and cheaper.”
Testicular cancer affects 2,400 people in the UK each year, with 98% surviving for at least 10 years after the cancer is first detected. It affects men when they are relatively young with it being the most common type of cancer in men aged between 15 and 49.
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