Cancer Treatment & Information

What are the symptoms of Testicular Cancer?

Most testicular cancers are discovered by the man himself when he notices a painless swelling (58%), lump (27%), or pain (33%) in a testicle.

• The lump may be small (the size of a pea) or large (the size of marble or even larger)
• Less common symptoms include a lasting ache or sensation of heaviness in the testicle.
• Significant shrinking of a testicle or a hardness of the testicle are other less common symptoms.
• Occasionally, a dull ache in the pelvis or groin is the only symptom.
• Rarely, the first symptom may be breast tenderness (3%), a result of hormonal changes brought on by the cancer.

Changes in the testicle can be detected early by practicing monthly testicular self-examination. Self-exam is easy to do. Testicular self-examination is key to recognizing testicular cancer early. Males older than 18 years should be encouraged to perform monthly inspections of each testicle. For more information on how to do a testicular self-exam, see Prevention. Notify your health care provider about any suspicious finding or concern.

How is Testicular Cancer diagnosed?

To help find the cause of symptoms, the doctor evaluates a man’s general health. The doctor also performs a physical exam and may order laboratory and diagnostic tests. These tests include:

• Blood tests that measure the levels of tumor markers. Tumor markers are substances often found in higher-than-normal amounts when cancer is present. Tumor markers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (ßHCG), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) may suggest the presence of a testicular tumor, even if it is too small to be detected by physical exams or imaging tests.
• Ultrasound, a test in which high-frequency sound waves are bounced off internal organs and tissues. Their echoes produce a picture called a sonogram. Ultrasound of the scrotum can show the presence and size of a mass in the testicle. It is also helpful in ruling out other conditions, such as swelling due to infection or a collection of fluid unrelated to cancer.
• Biopsy (microscopic examination of testicular tissue by a pathologist) to determine whether cancer is present. In nearly all cases of suspected cancer, the entire affected testicle is removed through an incision in the groin. This procedure is called radical inguinal orchiectomy. In rare cases (for example, when a man has only one testicle), the surgeon performs an inguinal biopsy, removing a sample of tissue from the testicle through an incision in the groin and proceeding with orchiectomy only if the pathologist finds cancer cells. (The surgeon does not cut through the scrotum to remove tissue. If the problem is cancer, this procedure could cause the disease to spread.)

If testicular cancer is found, more tests are needed to find out if the cancer has spread from the testicle to other parts of the body. Determining the stage (extent) of the disease helps the doctor to plan appropriate treatment.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.