Testicular Cancer Diagnosis, Testing and Treatment

Testicular cancer occurs in 1 % of men. Treatment can be successful when the cancer is caught early. Statistics show that nearly 95% of testicular cancer can be cured. This cancer can strike at any age, but is most commonly found in young men age 15 to 34. It has also proven that a family history plays a strong factor 

Testicular Cancer is often discovered by swelling of the testicles or a testis and or a lump. Often men complain that with the swelling comes pain. Making a trip to the doctor as soon as these symptoms develop, can mean all the difference. 

There are a few types of Testicular Cancer, they are: Seminoma, Non-seminoma, teratocarcinoma and embryonic cell carcinoma. The physician will want to do several tests to make a definitive diagnosis. One of the first tests a doctor will run is a blood test. They will look for certain markers in the blood such as beta HCG and alpha-fetoprotein. Although this can be a helpful test in making a diagnosis, statistic show that these markers only show up in about 50% of Non-Seminoma, cancer patients.

Another test that doctor will perform is an ultra sound. The ultra sound will show any abnormalities that may exist in the scrotum. If in fact if a tumor is present, a biopsy can be done. Doctors will usually remove the entire testicle, because of the risk of spreading the cancer. This procedure is called an orchiectomy. It is not uncommon to find the lump is a germ cell tumor. These tumors occur in the testis and are almost always malignant. They are usually discovered soon after puberty. Germ cells are the most common form of malignancy, occurring in 95% of patients. In some patients the tumor may be a sex cord-stromal neoplasm; these rare tumors have endocrine manifestations. Other tumors that might be found in this region are: gonadal stromal, gonadoblastoma and teratoma.

A rare and aggressive form of tumor found in the testis is the choriocarcinoma. This tumor has an extremely high mortality rate. It is a germ cell tumor and has a fast growing rate. There are treatment options, however, this tumor does not respond well to chemotherapy and radiation.

Once a definitive diagnosis has been made there are several treatment options. At this point, the doctor will want to check and see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lymph nodes. 
There are several options in treating testicular cancer. Most treatments will cause infertility and often leave many questions. Several questions doctors often hear are: will my penis still function properly, and will I still be able to have sex? While the man won’t be able to produce children, in most cases they can go on to have normal sex lives. One option in treatment is retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. In this process, a surgeon will remove an abdominal lymph node, to treat the cancer. A physician will also be able to tell what exact stage the cancer is in.

Catching this cancer in its early stage, gives a patient a better chance at taking care of the problem and being cancer free. Most cancers of the testicles can be effectively treated with radiation and chemotherapy. 
There are several risk factors for testicular cancer. If a patient had a cryptorchidism, or non-descended testicle, as child, this puts them at a higher risk for developing this type of cancer. Also any congenital abnormalities present at birth, also put a man at an increased risk for growth of this cancer.