Testicular cancer
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They record what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
The UK survival statistics come from England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have a similar population and health care system. So we can apply these survival statistics to the whole of the UK.
Generally for men with testicular cancer in the UK:
almost 100 out of every 100 (almost 100%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more
more than 95 out of every 100 (more than 95%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more
more than 95 out of every 100 (more than 95%) survive their cancer for 10 years or more
Researchers and doctors use a system to try and predict your outlook. This is for testicular cancer that has spread. Your outlook might be defined as:
good prognosis
intermediate prognosis
poor prognosis
Your prognosis is worked out slightly differently, depending on whether you have:
pure seminoma testicular cancer
non seminoma testicular cancer
Read about the types of testicular cancer
No UK-wide survival statistics are available for testicular cancer that has spread. The survival statistics below are from a large international study.
Pure seminoma means that there are no teratoma cells in the tumour. You will have normal Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) if you have pure seminoma.
There are two categories of outlook for pure seminoma testicular cancer. These are good prognosis and intermediate prognosis. No one with pure seminoma is classified as having a poor prognosis.
95 out of every 100 men (95%) survive for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed
Good prognosis means that the seminoma has spread only to the lymph nodes or the lungs. It has not spread anywhere else.
almost 90 out of every 100 men (almost 90%) survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis
Intermediate prognosis means that the seminoma has spread beyond the lung or lymph nodes. It has spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain or liver.
There are three categories of outlook for non seminoma testicular cancer that has spread. These are good prognosis, intermediate prognosis and poor prognosis.
around 95 out of every 100 men (around 95%) survive for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed
Good prognosis means that your primary cancer was in your testicle, or at the back of your stomach or abdomen (retroperitoneal). It may have spread to the lungs or lymph nodes but has not spread to anywhere else in your body. Your markers are only slightly above normal.
around 90 out of every 100 men (around 90%) survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis
Intermediate prognosis is the same as a good prognosis. But your markers are moderately higher.
more than 65 out of 100 men (more than 65%) will survive for 5 years or more after diagnosis
Poor prognosis means that:
the primary cancer is in your chest (mediastinum) or
the cancer has spread to somewhere in your body other than the lungs, such as the liver or brain
You may also be in this category if your marker levels are high.
Read about the stages of testicular cancer
Your outlook depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means:
whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of your body
the level of certain substances (tumour markers) in your blood
The type and size of your testicular cancer also affects your likely survival.
Taking part in clinical trials can help to improve the outlook for people with testicular cancer.
Find out more about clinical trials
You can read more statistics on survival rates and other factors for testicular cancer in our Cancer Statistics section.
Last reviewed: 21 Feb 2025
Next review due: 21 Feb 2028
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles. The testicles are part of the male reproductive system.
There are some factors that increase the risk of testicular cancer. These include having an undescended testicle and abnormal cells in the testicle.
The stage describes the size of your cancer and whether it has spread. Doctors also look at the level of tumour markers in your blood.
Symptoms of testicular cancer include a lump or swelling in part of one testicle or a heavy scrotum. Find out about other possible symptoms and when you should see your GP.
You usually have surgery. You might have chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This depends on the stage and type of your testicular cancer.
You usually start by seeing your GP. They might refer you for tests or to a specialist if you have symptoms that could be caused by testicular cancer.
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