Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. In the United States, about 8,000 to 9,000 men are diagnosed with this disease each year. Over a lifetime, the chance of getting testicular cancer is roughly 1 in 250 (4/10th of one percent). It is most common among males ages 15 through 40. Testicular cancer has one of the highest cure rates of all cancers, in excess of 90%, and essentially 100% if it has not spread. Even for the relatively few cases where it has spread widely, chemotherapy offers at least a fifty percent chance of a cure.

Actions after treatment

For stage 1 cancers which have not had any adjuvant (preventive) therapy, close monitoring for at least a year is important; (blood tests, if a nonseminoma; CT-scans in all cases), to evaluate if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). For other stages, and where radiation therapy or chemotherapy was used, the extent of monitoring (tests) will vary depending on circumstances, but normally should be done for a five-year period (with decreasing intensity).

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A man with one remaining testicle can have a perfectly normal life, as the other testicle takes up the load, and will generally have adequate fertility. However, it is worth the (minor) expense of measuring hormone levels before surgery (removal of a testicle), and sperm banking may be appropriate for younger men who still plan to have children, since fertility will certainly be lessened by removal of one testicle, and can be severely affected if extensive chemotherapy is done.

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A man who loses both testicles will normally have to take hormone supplements (in particular, testosterone, which is created in the testicles), and is obviously infertile, but can lead a normal life. Less than five percent of those who have testicular cancer will have it again in the second testicle.

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