Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer is highly treatable when caught early. Knowing what to look for is key.
What is Testicular Cancer?
A man’s testicles produce sperm and male hormones. Testicular tumors are typically either seminoma (slow growing) or non-seminoma (grows more quickly).
When abnormal cells grow out of control in the testes, testicular cancer can develop. It is highly treatable if detected early. This disease typically occurs between the ages of 15 and 35 but it is not common in the general population.
Each year, as many as 8,000 to 10,000 American men develop testicular cancer. Early detection is key.
Symptoms of Testicular Cancer
It is possible to have no symptoms and be diagnosed with testicular cancer. The most common symptoms are:
- Pain or swelling in the testicle
- Lump in the testicle
- Enlarged testicle or a change in the way it feels
- Dull ache in the back or lower abdomen
- Pain or aching in your testicle, groin, or scrotum
The consistency of your testicle should be uniform, and each testicle should be about the same size. If you notice a lump or hard spot, it may be a sign of a tumor.
Causes Testicular Cancer
The cause of most testicular cancers is unknown. But these factors seem to increase risk:
- Abnormal testicle development
- Undescended testicle(s)
- Family history of testicular cancer
- Klinefelter syndrome
Despite what some people believe, there’s no link between vasectomy and testicular cancer. White men are five times more likely to develop testicular cancer than Black men, and twice as likely as Asian American men.
Even if you have an undescended testicle remedied through surgery, your risk of developing testicular cancer is 25 to 50 times higher than someone who has a normal testicle.
Diagnosing Testicular Cancer
During your visit to Spokane Urology, your doctor will ask you questions regarding your medical history and will perform an exam.
Other tests that may be performed during or after your visit:
- Bloodwork: for tumor markers specific to testicular cancer.
- Scrotal ultrasound: an imaging study looking at the testicle, epididymis, hydrocele sac, and blood flow to and from the testicle.
- Imaging: either a CT scan or MRI scan depending on your history and kidney function to allow us to evaluate the urinary tract and assess for any spread of disease.
If cancer is found, the next step is to determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This is called “staging.”
- Stage I cancer has not spread beyond the testicle.
- Stage II cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the abdomen.
- Stage III cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes (it could be as far as the liver or lungs).
Treating Testicular Cancer
Recommended treatment depends on the type of your tumor, the stage of your tumor, and the extent of your disease. With treatment, most patients can be cured.
Non-surgical treatment:
Most testicular tumors need to be removed surgically. In certain situations, systemic therapy may be utilized.
Surgical treatments:
The gold standard for testicle tumor/mass removal is a radical orchiectomy (removal of the entire testicle through a small incision in the groin). Testicular biopsies are rarely performed prior to this surgery. In very select cases, just the tumor can be removed.
If the lymph nodes within the abdomen are enlarged, surgical removal (retroperitoneal lymph node dissection) may be performed with or without receiving chemotherapy first.
Treatment following surgery may include:
- Surveillance: For early-stage cancer, the physician closely watches to see what happens following surgery, with regular checkups to ensure the cancer is gone.
- Chemotherapy: For more advanced cancers, chemotherapy destroys cancer cells that remain after surgery.
- Radiation therapy: Used for specific subtypes of testicular cancer, this high dose of x-rays destroys cancer cells that remain after surgery. It also is used to treat cancer that has spread beyond the testes.
