About 96 percent of Men in UK Survive Testicular Cancer

Survival rate for men with testicular cancer in the U.K. increased 30 percent in the past 40 years. According to new data, about 96 percent testicular cancer patients survive, Cancer Research UK said.

Testicular cancer affects men aged 15 to 35. There are two main subtypes of this cancer namely, seminomas or non-seminomas. Symptoms of the cancer include pain, swelling or lumps in the testicles or groin area.

This year, an estimated 7,920 men will be diagnosed with the cancer in the U.S. while nearly 400 will die due to the cancer, according to data from National Cancer Institute.

Back in the 70's, less than 70 percent of men diagnosed with the cancer survived, the organization said. The increased chance of survival is attributed to the drug, cisplatin.

"A clear success story in cancer research has been the drug cisplatin, which our scientists helped to develop. This is helping almost all men with testicular cancer to beat the disease and is a shining example of what we can achieve through dedicated research," said Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said.

Introduction of chemotherapy in the 1970's led to many men surviving testicular cancer. Other data from Australia also showed that the rate of cancer-free survival for five years after treatment is about 98 percent.

"For some types of cancer, the word 'cure' is almost a reality - 96 per cent of men with testicular cancer are now cured. But it's important we recognise the four per cent who aren't surviving the disease, as well as the fact that we still need treatments to be kinder to patients in the future. It's only by doing more research that we can bring forward the day when we are able to beat all types of cancer," Kumar added, according to a news release.