Testicular cancer is a rare type of tumor that occurs mainly in young people between the ages of 15 and 35. In addition, testicular cancer is more common in men who have already suffered trauma in the region, such as athletes.
Cancer usually develops without symptoms and can therefore be difficult to identify. However, the most common ones include:
- The best way to identify possible signs of cancer is to regularly examine the testicles in the bathroom.
- For example.
- Because it helps identify some early changes that can develop into cancer.
Refer to the step by step to successfully perform the testicular self-exam or watch the video:
If the self-examination changes, it is recommended that you consult a urologist for diagnostic tests, such as ultrasound, specific blood tests, or cedargraphy, to confirm the diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment, if necessary.
There are also other testicular problems that can cause symptoms very similar to cancer, including the presence of a lump, but are a sign of less serious conditions, such as epididimite, cysts or varicocele, but should be treated appropriately. See 7 other causes of lumps in the testicle.
When the cancer is already at a later stage, it can eventually spread to other parts of the body and cause other symptoms such as:
These signs are rarer and often indicate that the cancer has spread to other sites such as the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, or brain, for example.
At this point, the cancer is harder to fight, however, treatment is done to try to decrease the size of the injury and relieve symptoms.
The best way to confirm that testicle cancer actually exists is to consult a urologist. Your doctor, in addition to performing a physical assessment, identifying symptoms, and confirming a family history, may also order an ultrasound or blood test to confirm the presence of cancer. In addition, you can also perform a tissue biopsy on one of your testicles, if there appear to be changes that suggest cancer.
The cause of testicular cancer is not yet fully understood, however, some factors seem to increase the risk of developing testicular cancer in humans. The main ones are:
In addition, being Caucasian also seems to increase up to 5 times the risk of having this type of cancer, compared to the black race, for example.
Treatment for testicle cancer depends on the course of the disease, as it can vary between radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery. However, testicle cancer is curable in most cases, even when metastasis has formed.
Therefore, treatment is usually initiated by surgery to remove the affected testicle and all cancer cells, which is sufficient in less developed cancer cases. In more advanced cases, however, radiation therapy or chemotherapy may need to be done after surgery to remove any remaining tumor cells that may have remained.
After treatment, the urologist makes several appointments for blood tests and CT scans to assess whether the cancer has been completely removed.
A man is usually sterile only when both testicles need to be removed, which happens in some cases. However, in these cases, it is possible to maintain certain sperm in specialized laboratories before surgery, which can then be used to perform artificial insemination, for example, allowing the birth of children.
There are 4 main stages in the development of testicular cancer
Generally, the more advanced the stage of cancer, the more difficult treatment can be and it may be necessary to remove the testicles to heal.