Testicular cancer, by nature, is one of the most aggressive solid organ tumours. It can spread to virtually every part of the body but commonly to lymph nodes, lungs, and brain. If left untreated, it will cause death in the majority of patients within the first year of diagnosis. Treatment involves a multi-modality approach utilising chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. Since the birth of cisplatin-based chemotherapies in the 1970s, a cure can be achieved in more than 90% of cases.
This high cure rate for around 50 years has resulted in a significant number of survivors. As testicular cancer is commonly diagnosed in the early years of life, these survivors live long enough to experience the late side effects of treatment, which are not observed in other patient groups.
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