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.

Pathology

Testicular cancer can be caused by any type of cell found in the testes, but more than 95% of all cancers are from germ cells. (Germ cells produce sperm; they are not pathogenic.) In general, the remainder of this article discusses germ cell testicular cancer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Germ cell tumors are classified as either seminomas or nonseminomas. Seminomas are slow-growing, immature germ cells. Seminomas, when found, tend to be only in the testicles (that is, localized), simply because they spread relatively slowly. Nonseminomas, on the other hand, are more mature germ cells which spread more quickly. (Nonseminomas are classified as one of three or four subtypes; their rate of spread varies somewhat but they are treated similarly.) When seminomas and nonseminomas are both present (which is not unusual), the cancer is classified as nonseminoma.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A case of testicular cancer is categorized as being in one of three stages (which have subclassifications). Stage one is where the cancer remains in the testicle. In stage two, the cancer has spread to the nearest lymph nodes, small bean shaped structures that produce and store infection fighting cells, in the abdomen. In stage three, the cancer has spread further to locations including the kidneys, liver, bones, lungs or brain. The majority of cases are stage 1, when first identified; stage 3 is relatively rare.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~