A trial looking at PET scans after surgery for testicular cancer (TE22)

This trial looked at PET scans to check for signs of cancer spread after surgery in men with non seminoma germ cell testicular cancer. This trial was supported by Cancer Research UK.

Doctors usually treat early stage testicular cancer with surgery. If the cancer has already grown into surrounding blood vessels or lymph vessels there is a higher chance of the cancer coming back. So this group of men usually has chemotherapy. But chemotherapy can have long term side effects. Doctors don’t want to give people treatments they don’t need. And the cancer will come back (recur) in less than half of this group of men if they do not have chemotherapy.

Doctors routinely use CT scans to check for signs of cancer spread after surgery. Earlier trials showed that a type of scan called a PET scan could pick up signs of cancer spread earlier than standard CT scans.

The aim of this trial was to find out if it is safe for men who have no signs of cancer spread on their PET scan, not to have chemotherapy. Instead, they would be closely monitored for any signs of their cancer coming back. This would then hopefully avoid unnecessary chemotherapy treatment.