New Genes Linked to Testicular Cancer 06/27/2010
Scientists have discovered three new genes associated with testicular cancer, according to the results of a study published in Nature Genetics.[1] Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men ages 15 to 45. The incidence of testicular cancer has been increasing in many western countries. Between 1975 ...

Firefighters Face Increased Risk of Cancer 11/15/2006
According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, firefighters have an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer.Workers in certain occupations may face an increased risk of cancer due to exposures that they encounter on the job. Exposure to radiation, ...

Surgery Linked with Good Outcomes for Patients with Late Relapse of Metastatic Testicular Cancer 08/25/2006
Patients who experience a cancer relapse more than two years after treatment for metastatic nonseminomatous testicular cancer can achieve good survival rates if the cancer relapse can be treated surgically. These results were published in the journal BJU International. Cancer of the testicles is the most common cancer in men ...

Sensitivity of Cancer Cells to Heat May Explain “Lance Armstrong Effect” 07/26/2006
In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers have suggested that the responsiveness of testicular cancer cells to chemotherapy may be explained by the sensitivity of these cells to heat. If this proves to be the case, it may be possible to use heat ...

First-Degree Relatives of Patients Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Who Never Smoked At Higher Risk of Developing Cancer 04/03/2006
According to results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), first-degree relative of patients who had never smoked but had been diagnosed with lung cancer have an increased risk of developing cancer within their lifetime, particularly cancers that occur before the age of 50. In most cases, detecting ...

Survivors of Testicular Cancer May Have Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease 01/19/2006
According to a recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, men who have survived testicular cancer may be at an increased risk of developing subsequent cardiovascular (heart) disease. These individuals should undergo cardiac monitoring as part of their follow-up medical care. Cancer of the testicles is the most ...

Many Men Able to Father Children After Testicular Cancer Treatment 11/10/2005
According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men treated for unilateral testicular cancer between 1980 and 1994 were often able to father children after treatment. However, the specific type of treatment influenced the probability of success. Cancer of the testicles is the most common ...

Ifosfamide/Paclitaxel/Cisplatin Highly Effective for Recurrent Testicular Cancer 09/22/2005
According to results recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the chemotherapy combination of ifosfamide (Ifex®), paclitaxel (Taxol®), and cisplatin (Platinol®) appears highly effective for treatment of patients with recurrent testicular cancer. Cancer of the testicles is the most common cancer in men 15 to 34 years old. The ...

High Maternal Weight May Increase Son's Risk of Testicular Cancer 08/31/2005
According to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, boys born to higher-weight mothers may be more likely to develop testicular cancer. Cancer of the testicles is the most common cancer in men 15-34 years old. The testicles are part of the male reproductive system and are located ...

Many Men Remain Fertile After Treatment for Testicular Cancer 08/22/2005
A study in the British Journal of Cancer reports that although treatment for testicular cancer may affect hormone levels and quality of life, many men are able to father a child after treatment. Cancer of the testicles is the most common cancer in men 15 to 34 years old. The ...

Chemotherapy Equivalent to Radiation Among Men With Stage I Seminoma 07/26/2005
Men with stage I seminoma (a type of testicular cancer) who are treated with one injection of carboplatin have the same low risk of relapse as men treated with radiation, according to a study in the Lancet.   Finding effective alternatives to radiation therapy may help ...

Long-term followup confirms that bleomycin chemotherapy may not be necessary for effective treatment of patients with good-risk metastatic testicular cancer. 02/26/2002
Three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin have been the standard therapy for patients with metastatic good-risk testicular cancer for more than a decade. However, the administration of bleomycin is associated with an approximate 1% mortality and significant toxicity to the lungs. Omission of bleomycin has been evaluated ...

Stem Cell Transplantation Cures Many Patients with Recurrent Testicular Cancer 02/26/2002
While the majority of patients with testicular cancer are cured following standard therapy, some patients experience a recurrence of cancer following treatment. The survival rate of patients with recurrent testicular cancer who are treated following a cancer recurrence with standard therapy is approximately 20-25%. Recent clinical trials, however, ...

High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell support: a promising therapy for patients with germ cell cancers who have failed chemotherapy. 02/26/2002
Treatment of patients with testicular germ cell cancer or non-gonadal germ cell cancer who have failed initial chemotherapy is unsatisfactory. Approximately 20% of patients treated with conventional dose salvage chemotherapy survive. Very high doses of chemotherapy that require support with bone marrow or blood stem cells have been ...

Maintenance chemotherapy with daily oral etoposide was effective in patients receiving salvage therapy for germ cell tumors. 02/26/2002
Treatment of patients with metastatic testicular cancer who have failed initial chemotherapy remains unsatisfactory with the majority of patients dying of cancer. At Indiana University doctors recently evaluated daily administration of an oral chemotherapy drug, etoposide, in patients who had previously responded to salvage chemotherapy. Most patients in ...

Adjuvant Chemotherapy: New Standard of Care for Patients with Testicular Cancer? 02/23/2002
A chemotherapy regimen consisting of 2 courses of carboplatin may be more effective and cause fewer side effects than standard adjuvant treatment in patients with stage I seminoma, according a recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Seminoma is the most common type of testicular cancer, and ...

Chemotherapy May Be as Effective as Radiation Therapy after Surgery for Early-Stage Seminoma 02/23/2002
Stage I seminoma is a highly curable cancer, with cure rates in excess of 95%. Treatment usually consists of surgery, followed by radiation therapy to prevent a recurrence, or return, of the cancer. Researchers in Germany now say that another approach to the prevention of recurrences of seminoma ...

For management of stage I non-seminoma cancer of the testes, patients are typically offered the type of therapy provided by the consulting physician. 02/23/2002
Patients with high-risk stage I non-seminoma testicular cancer include those with vascular or lymphatic invasion, an increased embryonal component, and an absence of yolk sac elements in the cancer specimen. Patients with greater than 3 of these risk factors have a 50% risk of cancer relapse. Patients with ...

Selected patients with low risk germ cell cancer can be treated with three instead of four cycles of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin and therefore experience fewer side effects from chemotherapy tr 02/23/2002
The drug combination of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) is effective therapy for patients with testicular cancer. One of the controversies is how much therapy is necessary to prevent relapses in patients with a minimal or moderate amount of cancer. Lower risk patients are those with elevated tumor ...

Surveillance after orchiectomy results in a high-cure rate for patients with clinical stage I non-seminoma of the testis. 02/23/2002
Before effective chemotherapy was developed most patients with localized testicular cancer underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection to diagnose unseen cancer and to remove cancerous lymph nodes. This resulted in surgery being performed on three-quarters of patients who don’t need it, as there is no benefit to the removal ...

Non-Seminoma Germ Cell Cancer of the Mediastinum: Doctors Report Treatment Outcomes 02/23/2002
Germ cell cancers can occur as 1 of 2 types: seminoma or non-seminoma. Non-seminoma germ cell cancer that occurs in the mediastinum—the space between the breast bone and lungs—is a cancer that has been difficult to study because of its rarity. Now, researchers at Indiana University report the ...

Chemotherapy with Carboplatin and Cyclophosphamide May Be Effective Therapy, with Reduced Side Effects, for Advanced Seminoma 02/23/2002
Seminoma, even at an advanced stage (stage III), is a highly treatable cancer, with a cure rate of approximately 90%. Treatment usually consists of chemotherapy with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin or, for some, just etoposide and cisplatin. Although these treatments are effective against the cancer, cisplatin and etoposide ...

Early Use of High-Dose Chemotherapy May Improve Outcomes for Patients with Advanced Testicular Cancer 02/23/2002
While the majority of patients with testicular cancer are curable following standard therapy, some "high-risk" patients have a poor prognosis and a cancer-free survival of approximately 50-60%. Previous clinical studies have demonstrated that patients with recurrent testicular cancer can be cured with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow ...

A Large European Study Suggests that Your Doctor's Experience May Effect Your Outcome 02/23/2002
Metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell (testicular) cancer is a rare but curable cancer. Because of the rarity, some treatment centers are unlikely to encounter many patients with this cancer in a single year and therefore may not have extensive treatment experience. Common standardized treatment protocols have been developed to ...

Three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) were compared to 4 cycles of etoposide and cisplatin (EP) for treatment of good risk metastatic non-seminoma of the testicle. 02/23/2002
Three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin have been the standard therapy for patients with metastatic good-risk testicular cancer for more than a decade. However, the administration of bleomycin is associated with an approximate 1% mortality and significant toxicity to the lungs. Omission of bleomycin has been evaluated ...

Comparison suggests that high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with peripheral blood stem cell support (PBSC) may be superior to conventional chemotherapy for initial treatment of patients with bad risk germ c 02/23/2002
Patients with poor risk germ cell cancer (non-testicular germ cell cancer with a mediastinal primary, liver metastasis, markedly elevated tumor markers) have an approximate cure rate of 40-50% with conventional chemotherapy. High-dose chemotherapy with PBSC support has been investigated as salvage therapy for patients with metastatic germ-cell cancer ...