Treatment of Stage III Testicular Cancer

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

Treatment of stage III testicular cancer depends on whether the cancer is a seminoma or a nonseminoma.

Treatment of seminoma may include the following:

• Surgery to remove the testicle, followed by combination chemotherapy. If there are tumors remaining after chemotherapy, treatment may be one of the following:
  • Surveillance with no treatment unless tumors grow.
  • Surveillance for tumors smaller than 3 centimeters and surgery to remove tumors larger than 3 centimeters.
  • A PET scan two months after chemotherapy and surgery to remove tumors that show up with cancer on the scan.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy.

Treatment of nonseminoma may include the following:

• Surgery to remove the testicle, followed by combination chemotherapy.
• Combination chemotherapy followed by surgery to remove the testicle and all remaining tumors. Additional chemotherapy may be given if the tumor tissue removed contains cancer cells that are growing or if follow-up tests show that cancer is progressing.
• Combination chemotherapy before surgery to remove the testicle, for cancer that has spread and is thought to be life-threatening.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.