Testis Cancer.

The treatment of testicular cancer is one of the great success stories of Western medical science. More than 90% of patients are now cured, and essentially all patients, regardless of how advanced their disease is at the time of diagnosis, have a real chance of cure. In contrast, 50 years ago, metastatic testicular cancer was almost always fatal. Testicular cancer represents an example of what can be learned from a systematic and determined clinical trials effort. The current standard chemotherapeutic regimens are based on a long series of randomized controlled trials, despite the fact that this is a relatively rare disease. Because there is almost always the possibility of achieving a cure and because current standard therapies have been based on a solid scientific foundation, mistakes in the management of testicular cancer patients can be particularly costly and difficult to justify. Patients with testicular cancer should be treated by physicians familiar with the disease and with the germ cell tumor literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]