Breast Cancer Slideshow Pictures Pancreatic Cancer Slideshow Pictures Skin Cancer Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Scott E Eggener, MD

Coauthor:

Steven C Campbell, MD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Follow-up

Follow-up is the care patients receive after their cancer is diagnosed and treated.

• Follow-up in testicular cancer varies and is based on the type of cancer, the cancer's response to treatment, and the physician's preference.



• The idea is to monitor the patient's recovery and look for early signs of cancer recurrence.



• Follow-up involves regular visits to the urologist for physical examination and tests.



• The urologist will probably want to see the patient every few months for the first two years, then every six to 12 months for five years or longer.



• Patients treated for testicular cancer can expect periodic CT scans, chest X-rays, and blood tests for life.

Cancers can recur after treatment, and accurately predicting which men will have a recurrence is impossible. Recurrences, if detected and treated early, have a high rate of cure. The patient's best way to ensure that a recurrence is caught early is to carefully follow the physician's follow-up recommendations.