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Living with cancer· Appointment prep

Appointment sheet: Testicular germ cell tumours

One page to bring and write on: your details, the questions for Testicular germ cell tumours plus your own, the words you may hear, what to bring, the treatments the standard of care names, and room for the answers and agreed next steps. What you type stays in this browser. Print it or save it as a PDF. New to all this? Start with the first 60 days. Orientation, not medical advice.

Tick the questions to print

All of this cancer's questions start ticked. Untick what does not apply; ticks are kept in this browser. .

Your own questions

Shared with the prep pack, so questions you add there appear here too.

Print or save as PDF

Use (or Ctrl+P, Cmd+P on a Mac). To keep a copy, choose Save as PDF as the destination in the print dialog. Only the sheet prints; the controls stay on screen. Your typed notes print where you typed them; empty fields print as ruled lines to write on.

Appointment sheet

Testicular germ cell tumours

Prepared with OnCo (onco.cc/prep/testicular/). Orientation, not medical advice; your team knows your case.

My details

Name
Date of appointment
Hospital and clinician
Who is coming with me

What I know, what is unclear, changes to discuss

Saved in this browser
What I know so far
What is unclear to me
Changes since last time

My questions

19 on the sheet
Newly diagnosed
  1. 1.What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?
  2. 2.Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example AFP, hCG, LDH, miR-371a-3p, i/ 12p gain, Rete testis and lymphovascular invasion, Tumour size >4 cm), and what were the results?
  3. 3.Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?
  4. 4.Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?
Stage I seminoma
  1. 5.For my situation (stage i seminoma), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
  2. 6.Am I a candidate for Carboplatin, and what side effects should I expect?
Stage I non-seminoma
  1. 7.For my situation (stage i non-seminoma), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
  2. 8.Am I a candidate for Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin, and what side effects should I expect?
Metastatic, IGCCCG good risk
  1. 9.For my situation (metastatic, igcccg good risk), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
  2. 10.Am I a candidate for Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin, and what side effects should I expect?
Metastatic, intermediate/poor risk
  1. 11.For my situation (metastatic, intermediate/poor risk), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
  2. 12.Am I a candidate for Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin or related drugs, and what side effects should I expect?
Relapsed
  1. 13.For my situation (relapsed), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
  2. 14.Am I a candidate for Paclitaxel / nab-paclitaxel, Ifosfamide, Cisplatin or related drugs, and what side effects should I expect?
Any stage
  1. 15.Are there clinical trials I could join, for example of Autologous stem cell transplant (high-dose therapy), Carboplatin?
  2. 16.Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?
  3. 17.What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?
  4. 18.I read that “Platinum-refractory disease has no effective therapy; checkpoint inhibitors were inactive”. How does that affect my plan?
  5. 19.I read that “Late effects of cisplatin (cardiovascular disease, second cancers, hearing loss) in men cured in their 20s”. How does that affect my plan?

The words I may hear

  • Late recurrence: Hormone-driven breast cancer can come back 10 or even 20 years after treatment, unlike most cancers, which is why hormone therapy lasts so long.
  • Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): Alpha-fetoprotein is a protein made by the fetal liver that a substantial share of hepatocellular carcinomas switch back on.
  • Retroperitoneum: The space at the back of the abdomen, behind the gut's lining, holding the kidneys, adrenals, pancreas, aorta and the para-aortic lymph nodes.
  • Adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology: Cancer in people aged 15-39, about 90,000 US cases a year, with a distinct mix of cancers, slower survival improvement than children or older adults, and specific needs: fertility, education and work, psychosocial support and trial access.

Tests and results to bring

Biomarker results to ask for: AFP, hCG, LDH (S stage; IGCCCG risk), miR-371a-3p (emerging, high sensitivity for viable GCT), i(12p) / 12p gain, Rete testis and lymphovascular invasion (stage I risk), Tumour size >4 cm (seminoma stage I risk).

Scans and tests linked to this cancer: Active surveillance, AFP, hCG and LDH in germ cell tumours (IGCCCG risk groups), Serum tumour markers: proper use and misuse.

Bring copies of scan reports, pathology and blood results, and a list of every medicine and supplement.

The treatments I may be offered

From the standard of care recorded for this cancer; which apply depends on your stage and biomarkers. Ask which the team recommends and why.

Answers and next steps

Saved in this browser
What I was told
Agreed next steps, dates and who to call