Publication

Interdisciplinary evidence-based recommendations for the follow-up of testicular cancer patients: a joint effort

Journal Paper/Review - Jun 26, 2010

Units
PubMed
Doi

Citation
Cathomas R, De Santis M, Beyer J, Mayer F, Lorch A, Zaugg K, Seifert H, Shahin O, Rentsch C, Rothermundt C, Stenner F, Helbling D, Gillessen Sommer S. Interdisciplinary evidence-based recommendations for the follow-up of testicular cancer patients: a joint effort. Swiss Med Wkly 2010; 140:356-69.
Type
Journal Paper/Review (English)
Journal
Swiss Med Wkly 2010; 140
Publication Date
Jun 26, 2010
Issn Electronic
1424-3997
Pages
356-69
Brief description/objective

Detailed recommendations for the treatment of testicular cancer exist and due to the stringent application of the standard therapies, most patients can nowadays be cured. Moreover in the treatment of early stage disease, active surveillance is now a cornerstone of treatment. Hence there is a clear need for recommendations regarding the long term follow-up of these young patients. These have to be safe, feasible and the intensity of procedures have to reflect the known risk of recurrence. Different proposals have been published but they differ widely especially in terms of frequency and modality of imaging. In the last few years, new evidence has become available regarding the relapse pattern of different disease stages of testicular cancer, the use of imaging in follow-up and the risks of excessive radiation due to imaging, in particular with CT scans. In this article, an interdisciplinary, multinational working group has reviewed the evidence and based on this has formulated practical recommendations for the follow-up of patients with testicular cancer.