(May 27th 2025) Researchers from Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) have made an important discovery for survivors of Testicular Cancer, which is the most common cancer in young men (aged between 15 and 35). This new paper has found that five years or more after their cancer treatment, these men are more likely to develop a range of other health problems like high blood pressure, cholesterol as well as lung and hormone-related complications. If left untreated these issues could negatively impact their quality of life or cause serious illness.
Given that some men with Testicular Cancer are diagnosed in their late teens or early twenties, this can see them developing high blood pressure and cholesterol in their 40s. This is much sooner than would be expected among their counterparts in the general population.
As a result, this research recommends that these patients be regularly screened at an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) led clinic, so that heart and other medical issues can be identified early and successfully treated, thereby preventing cardiac complications from developing.
Just such an ANP led screening clinic was set up at TUH in October 2022 and continues to run after research in Norway and the USA found that men who had previously been treated for Testicular Cancer were dying much younger than expected. The Clinic was established here by the Consultant Oncologist Raheel Khan, (who was then working with us as a Registrar) and our Oncology ANP Patrice Kearney Sheehan.
The ANP-led Clinic runs weekly at the Hospital and reviews men with a history of Testicular Cancer. During their annual appointment, the men are screened for several potential health complications. The results formed the basis of this new research. This new study from TUH on the long‑term side effects of Testicular Cancer and its treatment* has just been published in the Supportive Care in Cancer monthly peer-reviewed medical journal.
All of the men who have joined the Testicular Cancer Survivor Clinic are at least five years on from their original diagnosis, with the average being 10 years post-treatment. To date, the specialist TUH Cancer Trials Unit along with the Oncology Department at the Hospital has recruited 78 men who have all been diagnosed and treated for Testicular Cancer.
This new paper found that 40% of these men had hypertension or high blood pressure, while 55% had dyslipidaemia, a general term for having unhealthy levels of cholesterol in the blood. The ANP nurse-led clinic at TUH, where these patients continue to be monitored, also identified two cases of coronary artery disease, when the arteries on the surface of the heart get clogged with fat. It was found that one patient had suffered a heart attack at the age of just 45.
Three of the men had died from a second malignant neoplasm. This is a new cancer that develops in a patient who has already had the disease in another part of the body and has received treatment for it. Six patients were found to have kidney issues and are now being treated by the Hospital’s Nephrology Department.
Consultant Oncologist Raheel Khan who led this study with the support of his colleagues says, “These results are astonishing. We know from research carried out in recent years that men who have been successfully treated for Testicular Cancer die much younger than normal. Early screening can identify and successfully treat many of the complications they face, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, particularly important when this research tells us that one of the men we studied had suffered a heart attack at the age of just 45. The study identifies the need for more specialist ANP-led survivor clinics. Unlike TUH, most cancer centres do not offer any follow-up at the end of surveillance for Testicular Cancer patients.”
Clinical Professor of Medical Oncology at TUH, Ray McDermott, who is alsothe Clinical Lead at Cancer Trials Ireland, said, “This new research paper provides a practical solution to issues faced by men who have been treated for Testicular Cancer. We are hoping that further studies will build on this knowledge and improve survivorship care as well as raise awareness among healthcare providers and survivors. Five decades ago, Testicular Cancer patients emerged as pioneers in solid organ cure; now, they can become the pioneers in survivorship care.”
The study was kindly supported by Cancer Trials Ireland. Chemotherapy is often used to cure Testicular Cancer when it has spread outside the testicle and has a success rate of 98%. The research on the long-term side effects of Testicular Cancer and its treatment is ongoing at TUH and this special clinic continues to run and recruit new patients. In conducting this study we at TUH have also established the first national testicular cancer database.
If you are a survivor of Testicular Cancer and have been touched by any of the issues raised in this article and need support, we would encourage you to reach out to the Irish Cancer Society. Their free support phone line can be contacted on 1800 200 700. It opens from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Editor's Note
*The research paper this press release refers to is entitled “Long‑term Side Effects of Testicular Cancer and Treatment - Observational Study of Mortality and Morbidity in Testicular Cancer Survivors.” It was first published in the Supportive Care in Cancer monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering research on cancer care by Springer Nature. The authors included; M Raheel Khan, Patrice Kearney Sheehan, Ashley Bazin, Abdur Rehman Farooq, Christine Leonard, Umair Aleem, Lynda Corrigan and Ray McDermott. In conducting this study we have also established the first national testicular cancer database.
*The Consultant Oncologist Raheel Khan is now working as a locum Oncology Consultant at St. James's Hospital in Dublin.
