Evaluation of treatment outcomes in patients with testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is the second leading cause of death and most common malignancy in young men 20 to 40 years of age with an estimated value of 9000 men diagnosed with this cancer in 2015. Current treatment options include radical orchiectomy, Retroperitoneal Lymph node dissection (RPLND), chemotherapy, radiation, active surveillance and expectant management that involve measuring three serum tumor markers. The educational purpose of my year-long independent study is to gain an in-depth understanding of cancer pathology and molecular aberrations associated with testis cancer while simultaneously obtaining significant knowledge in the clinical aspects and treatment paradigms associated with testis cancer. Through collaboration with a urologic ongologist, Dr. Stephen Riggs, at the Levine Cancer Institute, a local and regional destination for testicular cancer treatment, I have the opportunity to examine outcomes and to follow patients with this rare disease through the creation of a testicular cancer database. Creation of this database using Research Electronic Data Capture software ultimately allows us to assess the efficacy of different treatment modalities, to better inform patients of treatment options, to tailor individual treatment interventions and to guide future improvements in patient care and treatment research.
