Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer is cancer that creates in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. In the United States; about 8,000 to 9,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer  are made each year. Over his lifetime, a man’s risk of testicular cancer is roughly 1 in 250 (four tenths of one percent, or 0.4%). It is most common among males aged 15-34 years, significantly those in their mid-twenties. Testicular cancer has one of the highest cure rates of all cancers:more than 90%; essentially 100% if it has not metastasized.

Testicular cancer that forms in tissues of the testis (one of two egg-shaped glands inside the scrotum that make sperm and male hormones). Testicular cancer usually happens in young or middle-aged men. Two main types of testicular cancer are seminomas (cancers that grow steadily and are sensitive to radiation therapy) and nonseminomas (different cell types that grow more quickly than seminomas).

Testicular cancer accounts for only 1 percent of all cancers in men in the United States. About 8,000 men are defined with testicular cancer, and about 390 men die of this disease each year (1). Testicular cancer occurs most often in men between the ages of 20 and 39, and is the most common form of cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 34. It is most common in white men, especially those of Scandinavian descent. The testicular cancer rate has more than doubled among white men in the past 40 years, but has only recently begun to improve among black men. The reason for the racial differences in incidence is not known.

The testicles manufacture the male hormone testosterone. They also produce sperm. Sperm cells are moved from the testicle through the vas deferens to the seminal vesicles, where they are combined with fluid developed by the prostate gland. During ejaculation, sperm cells, seminal vesicle fluid, and prostatic fluid enter the urethra, the tube in the center of the penis through which both urine and semen are passed.

Most testicular tumors are detected by patients themselves–either by accident, as Knies did, or while accomplishing self-examination on each testicle. “The usual presentation is of an enlarged, painless lump,” says Malkowicz.

“Occasionally there can be pain.” The lump typically is pea-sized, but sometimes it might be as big as a marble or even an egg.

Each normal testicle has an epididymis, which feels like a small bump on the upper or middle outer side of the testis. Normal testicles also contain blood vessels, supporting tissues, and tubes that conduct sperm. These can feel bumpy and sometimes men confuse these structures with cancer. If you have any doubts, ask your doctor. The doctor may order an ultrasound test to examine the scrotum (see the American Cancer Society document, Testicular Cancer). This is an easy and painless way of finding out whether there is a tumor.

Symptoms include pain, swelling or lumps in your testicles or groin area. Most cases can be treated, especially if it is found early. Treatment options include surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. Regular exams after treatment are important. Treatments may also cause inability to conceive. If you may want children later on, you should consider sperm banking before treatment.

Testicular cancer is highly curable, even when cancer has spread beyond the testicle. Acquiring on the type and stage of testicular cancer, you may receive one of several treatments, or a combination. Regular testicular self-examinations can help identify growths early, when the chance for successful treatment of testicular cancer is highest.

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