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.

Symptoms and early detection

As testicular cancer is curable when detected early, experts recommend regular monthly testicular self-examination after a hot shower when the scrotum is looser. Men should examine each testicle first feeling for lumps then, compare them together to see if one is bigger than the other.

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Symptoms include a lump in one testicle, pain and tenderness in testicles, blood in semen during ejaculation, build-up of fluid in the scrotum, enlargement or tenderness of breasts, a dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin, and an increase, or significant decrease, in the size of one testicle. Men should report any of these to a doctor as soon as possible.

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Whether testicular cancer exists or not (and its extent) is evaluated by ultrasound (of the testicles), X-rays or CT-scans, looking for tumors. For nonseminomas (see below), a blood test is used to test for (and measure) tumor markers that are specific to that type of testicular cancer.

Related Topics:
Ultrasound - CT-scan - Nonseminomas

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