Half the amount of chemotherapy 'just as effective' in treating testicular cancer, study finds

Professor says findings could make treatment 'shorter, kinder and cheaper'

Testicular cancer can be prevented from coming back using half the amount of chemotherapy that is currently used, a new trial has found.

According to Cancer Research UK, testicular cancer is quite rare with just 2,400 men diagnosed with the disease in the UK each year.

Currently, surgery is the main treatment for most patients, however many are also offered chemotherapy to ensure all of the tumour cells are gone and prevent the cancer from returning.

Unfortunately, chemotherapy often come with side-effects, including fatigue, nausea, hair loss and infections, the NHS states.

Now researchers have discovered that relapses of testicular cancer can be successfully prevented by using half the amount of chemotherapy that is currently recommended, hopefully reducing the severity of treatment-related side effects.

The study, published in the journal European Urology, was conducted by the Institute of Cancer Research, London and University Hospitals and Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

For the research, nearly 250 men with early-stage testicular cancer who were deemed to be at risk of the disease returning after surgery were given just one cycle of chemotherapy, compared to the standard two or three week cycles.

The results showed that just 1.3 per cent of participants (three in total) had their cancers return, a rate which is similar to that among men who have six weeks of chemotherapy.

“Men with testicular cancer who are at high risk of recurrence have generally been treated with two cycles of chemotherapy - but our new study found that one cycle was enough to stop their tumour from coming back,” said Professor Robert Huddart, one of the leaders of the study at the Institute of Cancer Research.

Prof Emma Hall, another scientist at the institute, added: “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.”

Speaking to Forbes, Mike Craycraft, a testicular cancer survivor and founder of the Testicular Cancer Society, said he hopes the study will help emphasise that one round of chemotherapy is sufficient.

“A lot of experts have been doing this for years in the adjuvant setting [treatment that is given in addition to initial treatment] and this solidifies the reasoning for this,” Craycraft said.

“I often talk to patients considering two rounds and ask them to get a second opinion as it might not be worth it for the toxicity.”

Despite the notable results, the study did pose one limitation, which was that it did not randomly compare two groups of men who had undertaken a different number of chemotherapy cycles.

Cancer Research UK states that symptoms of testicular cancer include a lump or swelling, a heavy scrotum and discomfort or pain.

However, it stresses that these symptoms can be similar to other conditions that affect the testicles, such as infections.

Anyone concerned that they may have symptoms of testicular cancer should make an appointment with their GP.

You can read more about how to check for testicular cancer here.