Best practice timed pathways support the ongoing improvement effort to shorten diagnostic pathways, reduce variation, improve experience of care, and meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS).

The 28 Day Faster Diagnosis Standard remains the single standard by which the speed of diagnosis of cancer will be measured under Cancer Waiting Times. However, some types of cancer are particularly aggressive, and particular effort should be made to diagnose them even faster than the headline target.  Some testicular cancers and large and invasive kidney cancers fall into this category. This document outlines the testicular pathway setting out the sequence of events that would be required to complete the diagnostic process wherever possible within 21 days are reflective of that.

The bladder, upper-tract urothelial carcinoma, penile, renal, and testicular cancer pathways are part of a series, published since April 2018.