UC San Diego Health is the first health system in the country to offer a groundbreaking new blood test for testicular cancer, officials announced Monday. Developed over the course of a decade, this innovative test is being hailed by UCSD physicians as a solution to a “critical diagnostic gap.” It provides clinicians with a sensitive and specific biomarker that helps guide treatment plans, aiming to avoid both under- and over-treatment of the disease.
“Being able to engage in translational research that radically impacts the way we care for patients with testicular cancer is incredibly rewarding,” said Dr. Aditya Bagrodia, professor of urology at the UCSD School of Medicine and urologic oncologist at UCSD Health. “Developing this test in partnership with my colleagues represents years of dedicated work to bring a new form of personalized medicine to testicular cancer care.”
According to UCSD doctors, the blood test offers critical information before potential surgery, assists in guiding treatment decisions, enables early detection of recurrent cancer, and can replace more invasive methods traditionally used for cancer surveillance.
“This breakthrough represents the kind of investment in innovation that can save lives while improving quality of life for cancer survivors,” said Dr. Diane Simeone, director of Moores Cancer Center at UCSD Health. “We regularly receive inquiries from patients all over the world and are thrilled we can now offer this advanced tool to help optimize outcomes for patients with testicular cancer.”
Testicular cancer primarily affects young men between the ages of 18 and 45. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 9,700 Americans are diagnosed with testicular cancer annually, with around 600 deaths each year attributed to the disease.
The new blood test measures a highly specific biomarker and can predict the presence of testicular cancer cells with 90% accuracy, UCSD reports. It is currently available to UCSD Health patients diagnosed with testicular cancer, with plans to expand testing services to external samples from other medical centers worldwide later this year.
Importantly, the test is certified by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and complies with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards.
“This CAP and CLIA clinical validation process and test implementation allows us to translate years of research findings into clinical decisions that can genuinely help patients,” explained Sarah Murray, who led the laboratory validation efforts and serves as director of medical genetics and genomics at UCSD Center for Advanced Laboratory Medicine. “The rigorous standards we’ve met ensure that this test is reproducible, reliable, and has analytic validity.”
Physicians and researchers at UCSD emphasize that the blood test’s findings will be integrated into existing testicular cancer care plans, marking a significant advancement in personalized cancer treatment and patient care.
https://timesofsandiego.com/health/2025/11/03/ucsd-first-in-nation-blood-test-can-detect-testicular-cancer/
