Recent advances in testicular germ cell tumours

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) are the most common solid tumours in young men and have an excellent overall cure rate and prognosis. In most patients, localised disease is cured by surgery alone, and a minority of patients receive short-course adjuvant chemotherapy to reduce the risk of further relapse. Also, in about 80% of patients, metastatic disease can be cured by systemic cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Unfortunately, for a proportion of patients, the disease exhibits platinum resistance and relapse occurs. Despite further lines of systemic treatment, cure can be difficult to achieve in these patients and ultimately about 20% of them will die from disease progression. Addressing the mechanisms underpinning platinum resistance is critical to improving the survival and chances of cure for these patients. This review describes the latest advances in TGCT research, focusing on the identification of novel biomarkers, genetic characteristics and exploring novel treatments.