© 2005 Oxford University Press
EDITORIAL |
Doctor ... Will I Still Be Able To Have Children?
Correspondence to: Scott Saxman, MD, FACP, Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Blvd., Rm. 7025, Bethesda, MD 20892 (e-mail: saxmans@ctep.nci.nih.gov).
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Few experiences in the professional life of a practicing oncologist are as satisfying as treating a patient with testicular cancer. By and large these are young, healthy males, able to easily tolerate the associated acute side effects of aggressive therapy. Thanks to the vision of the pioneers in this field and their commitment to evidence-based medicine, we are routinely guided by high-quality phase III data in making treatment decisions. Unlike the situation for most solid tumors, even when patients present with metastases the cure rates are extraordinary, and for early-stage disease the cure rate approaches 100%. This success is evidenced by the fact that although only approximately 8000 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer in the United States in 2005, there are roughly 185 000 men alive in the United States who have a history of testicular cancer (1). Long-term complications of the disease and/or its