Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer in one or both testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. In the United States, about 8,000 to 9,000 people are diagnosed with the cancer every year. Every male has a 1 in 250 (four tenths of one percent, or 0.4%) chance of being diagnosed with it. It is most common among males aged 15-40 years. Testicular cancer has one of the highest cure rates of all cancers; more than 90%. This is most often achieved by removing one or both testicles. Even in the small number of cases where the cancer has spread widely, chemotherapy offers a cure rate of at least 50%.
Symptoms and early detection
Because testicular cancer is curable (stage I can have a success rate of >95%) when detected early, experts recommend regular monthly testicular self-examination after a hot shower or bath, when the scrotum is looser. Men are advised to feel each testicle, feeling for pea-shaped lumps. Symptoms of testicular cancer include one or more of the following:
- a lump in one testis or a hardening of one of the testicles
- pain and tenderness in the testicles
- build-up of fluid in the scrotum
- a dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin
- a change in the size of a testicle
- blood in semen
How bad the cancer is and whether it is present at all is often discovered through ultrasound of the testicles, x-rays, and/or CT scans. Blood tests are also used to identify and measure tumour markers that are only in a person's blood if they have testicular cancer. Biopsies should not be performed because it increases the risk of migrating cancer cells into the scrotum.
Testicular Cancer Media
Image showing the first sign of testicular cancer
Micrograph (high magnification) of a seminoma. H&E stain.
Relative incidences of testicular tumors.
Photograph
