An overview of the future of testicular cancer treatment
Ben Tran, MBBS, FACP, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia, provides a horizon scan in the testicular cancer field. In patients who are cisplatin resistant, the intensification of treatment in first-line may increase the probability of cure and reduce the likelihood of future salvage chemotherapy. microRNA-371has been shown to be a marker of minimal residual disease (MRD) in stage one testes cancer. A post orchidectomy specimen was shown to detect over half the future recurrences via a plasma-based microRNA-371 assay. Prospective studies aim to confirm these findings. Additionally, a study is researching primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PRLND) for stage II seminoma. This would remove the need for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. FDG-PET scans were implemented before surgery reduced the need for surgery in benign cases. Post surgery bleomycin, etoposide, and platinum (BEP) adjuvant chemotherapy reduced recurrences. A novel treatment for refractory testes cancer