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Screening for Testicular Cancer
Clinical Summary of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmation Recommendation
This document is a summary of the 2011 recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on screening for testicular cancer in adolescent and adult males. It is intended for use by primary care clinicians. This summary was first published in Annals of Internal Medicine in April 2011 (Ann Intern Med 2011;154:483-486).
| Population | Adolescent and Adult Males |
|---|---|
| Recommendation | Do Not Screen |
| Grade: D | |
| Screening Tests | There is inadequate evidence that screening asymptomatic patients by means of self-examination or clinician examination has greater yield or accuracy for detecting testicular cancer at more curable stages. |
| Interventions | Management of testicular cancer consists of orchiectomy and may include other surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy, depending on stage and tumor type. Regardless of disease stage, over 90% of all newly diagnosed cases of testicular cancer will be cured. |
| Balance of Harms and Benefits | Screening by self-examination or clinician examination is unlikely to offer meaningful health benefits, given the very low incidence and high cure rate of even advanced testicular cancer.
Potential harms include false-positive results, anxiety, and harms from diagnostic tests or procedures. |
| Relevant USPSTF Recommendations | Recommendations on screening for other types of cancer can be found at http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org. |
For a summary of the evidence systematically reviewed in making these recommendations, the full recommendation statement, and supporting documents, please go to http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.
Disclaimer: Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Copyright and Source Information
This document is in the public domain within the United States.
AHRQ Publication No. 10-05147-EF-3
Current as of April 2011
Internet Citation:
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Testicular Cancer: Clinical Summary of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmation Recommendation. AHRQ Publication No. 10-05147-EF-3, April 2011. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf10/testicular/testicupsum.htm
USPSTF Program Office |
