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Survival Rates for Testicular Cancer Almost at 100 Percent in the UK

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Jul 29, 2013 04:42 PM EDT

There is some pretty good news for men living in the United Kingdom. According to a new report by Cancer Research UK, the survival rate for men with testicular cancer has almost reached 100 percent. This new report revealed that advances in medications and screenings have paid off, as men are less likely to die from this type of cancer now than they were four decades ago.

According to the report, the survival rate for testicular cancer has jumped 30 percent within the past 40 years. The rate during the 1970s was less than 70 percent and the rate today sits at 96 percent. The researchers stated that men who are cancer free for more than ten years could be considered completely cured. The researchers believe that the reason for this drastic increase in survival rates is due to the development of the chemotherapy drug, cisplatin. This drug in combination with better screening tools has made researchers optimistic that a survival rate even closer to 100 percent could be achievable.

"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," Dr. Harpal Kumar the chief executive of Cancer Research UK said according to Medical Xpress. "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 recognize 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."

The researchers and medical experts remind men to remember to get medical care immediately if they notice any lumps or swelling in their testicles. Even if the lump is not cancerous, the doctors can monitor it. By keeping a close eye on these types of symptoms, diagnoses would ideally occur earlier, which leads to better and faster medical care. Testicular cancer afflicts around 2,300 men every year in the UK. The age group that is most vulnerable is between 15 and 49 

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