AUA Releases New Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of Early-Stage Testicular Cancer
Recently, the American Urological Association (AUA) released a new clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage testicular cancer.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men ages 20 to 40. Although it is a less common form of cancer, about 9,600 American men will be diagnosed with the disease this year. Men who were born with cryptorchidism have a greater chance of being diagnosed with testicular cancer, as do men with a family history or men with a personal history of testis cancer. Self-examination of the testes is important for early detection, and when the disease is caught early, the cure rate is close to 100%.
"There are more than 250,000 men in the U.S. who are testicular cancer survivors," said Andrew Stephenson, MD, Chair of the Guideline Development Panel and a urologist at Rush University. "This new guideline is fully aligned to the latest science and provides physicians with a relevant blueprint to diagnosing, staging, and treating this disease, so as to maintain its high cure rate."
Guideline Highlights
Once diagnosed, treatment will depend on the type and stage of cancer, as well as the age, overall health, and personal preferences of the patient, which is why the AUA Guideline Panel strongly suggests physicians and patients engage in a shared decision-making process to select the best care option for each individual patient.
The new clinical guideline makes 45 recommendations in total. Completing a scrotal ultrasound and obtaining serum tumor markers as part of initial diagnosis are among the recommendations made. A radical, inguinal orchiectomy to remove and treat the cancer is also recommended for all men with the disease; however, testis-sparing surgery is not recommended in men with a normal contralateral testis. The Guideline Panel suggests the option for sperm banking be discussed prior to orchiectomy. For patients with stage II disease, the guideline recommends retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, chemotherapy, and/or active surveillance be offered postorchiectomy.
The guideline was developed by a panel with specific expertise in the guideline subject. It was then distributed to peer reviewers of varying backgrounds as part of the AUA's extensive peer review process before being finally approved by the AUA Board of Directors.
The full guideline is available online at www.auanet.org/TesticularCancer.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
