Testicular Cancer is a disease caused by malignant (cancerous) cells having formed in one or both testicles. Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer vary from patient to patient.
We will cover some of the most common signs and symptoms here. Should your symptoms match those covered here, do not become alarmed. Instead, contact your family doctor and schedule and appointment to be properly examined. This article is intended to be informational only; not a diagnosis.
Symptoms of Testicular Cancer Guide
If you have testicular cancer, you may be suffering from one or all of the following symptoms:
- Swelling and/or a small lump in one or both of the testes.
- Pain in the testes or scrotum may or may not be present.
- Feeling of heaviness in the scrotum.
- Dull feeling of pain in the region of the lower abdominal area, groin, or lower back.
In some cases the patient will experience nausea and vomiting if any of the above symptoms are severe in nature.
Germ cell tumors are the most common type of testicular cancer and there are two types:
Seminomas and Non Seminomas
Seminomas may be one of the following 3 types – classic, anaplastic, or spermatocytic.
Nonseminoma types include – choriocarcinoma, embryonal carcinoma, teratoma, and yolk sac tumors.
You should be aware that tumors in the testicles may include both seminoma and nonseminoma cells.
At this time, testicular cancer only accounts for 1% of all cancers in men in the US. Approximately 8,000 men are diagnosed with this type of cancer each year. About 390 men die of this disease each year. The typical age range of men suffering from this type of cancer is age 20 to age 39. White men of Scandinavian descent primarily suffer with this cancer.
During the past 40 years, the testicular cancer rate has more than doubled. It has recently begun to increase among black men. Circumstances surrounding this increase are currently under investigation.
Your doctor can properly evaluate your symptoms of testicular cancer and recommend the appropriate course of treatment. Treatments may include, but not be limited to:
Orchiectomy
A surgery that removes one entire testicle. As only one testicle is required to maintain fertility, this is often the course of treatment advised. The patient can typically return to a normal sex life post operatively.
Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection (RPLND)
In the case of nonseminoma cancers that appear to be stage I, surgery may be done on the retroperitoneal/Paraaortic lymph nodes to accurately determine whether the cancer is in stage I or stage II and to reduce the risk that malignant testicular cancer cells that may have metastasized to lymph nodes in the lower abdomen.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation may be used to treat stage 2 seminoma cancers, or as preventative therapy in the case of stage 1 seminoma cancer type.
Chemotherapy
Use of chemotherapy as an alternative to radiation therapy in the treatment of seminoma is increasing, because radiation therapy appears to have more significant long-term side effects such as internal scarring, increased risks of secondary malignancies, etc.
Should you find yourself suffering from any or all of the symptoms of testicular cancer noted above, it is strongly advised that you seek medical advice. The types of cancer and signs and symptoms of cancer outlined in this article are for information purposes only.
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Symptoms of Testicular Cancer – Signs of Advanced Testicular Cancer
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