Improving patient care of men experiencing testicular cancer by detecting and preventing relapse - EDMARC

Testicular germ cell cancer is the most common cancer in young men. Approximately 75% of patients are diagnosed with stage I disease, and 20-30% of these patients will experience relapse within 5 years. MicroRNAs may improve the early diagnosis of relapse and, in combination with new pathological risk factors, may enhance the risk stratification of patients with stage I testicular germ cell cancer.

In collaboration with the Department of Oncology, we will investigate whether genetic variation (polygenic risk scores), circulating molecular markers (microRNAs) and pathological risk factors (histology), in combination, can improve the risk stratification of patients with stage I testicular germ cell cancer. The aim is to personalize follow-up programs based on risk and improve the identification of patients who may benefit from adjuvant therapy, thereby reducing recurrence risk and minimizing overtreatment and the associated long-term toxicities in patients who do not need such intervention. We also aim to better identify low-risk patients, for whom surveillance intensity may be safely reduced, thereby limiting the number of hospital visits. Finally, we aim to implement a new diagnostic method for earlier detection of relapse, which may improve treatment outcomes and reduce the burden of metastatic disease through earlier intervention.

Key contributors involved from EDMaRC are Kristian Almstrup and Nina Mørup Nygaard. Other collaborators include Professor Gedske Daugaard from the Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, who is the principal investigator of the project.