Testicular cancer, or cancer of testes, appears in the testicles, inside the scrotum. The scrotum is a loose bag of skin hanging under the penis. Male sex hormone, testosterone, and sperms for reproduction are produced in the testicles. The testicles are a pair of male sexual glands, also known as gonads. Testosterone manages the growth of the reproductive organs, and other male physical characteristics. Testicular cancer happens when the cells become (cancerous) either in one or both testicles. White males, especially those of Scandinavian descent are more prone to growing of the disease compared to other men.
Testicular Cancer Symptoms:
An indication is something the patient feels or reports, while a sign is something other people see, including a physician, may diagnose. For example, pain may be an indication while a rash could be a sign.
In majority cases, the patient finds cancer himself. Sometimes they are found by doctors during a routine physical test. If you notice anything abnormal about your testicles you should visit your doctor, especially if you diagnose any of the following:
- A swelling or lump in a testicle (painless)
- Pain in a testicle or scrotum
- Irritation in a testicle or scrotum
- A sensation of heaviness inside the scrotum
- Pain in the lower back
- Pain in the groin
- Pain in the abdomen
- A sudden gathering of liquid in the scrotum
- Unexplained tirednessor depression.
Cancer may not necessarily cause these symptoms. In fact, less than 4 percent of lumps in the testicles are found to be cancerous. You should not ignore a lump or swell in the testicle, however. It is vital to see your doctor, who can determine what the actual cause behind it.
In rare cases, the man may observe that his breast portion is enlarged and tender. His nipples may feel sore and tender as well. It is caused by hormonal changes occurring in his body.
Even though testicular cancer can spread to the lymph nodes, it hardly ever travels to other organs. If cancer does spread, the patient may experience:
- Coughing
- Breathing difficulties
- Swallowing difficulties
- Swelling inside the chest.
Testicular Cancer Diagnosis:
The doctor will interview the patient; do a physical examination, and possibly order laboratory and diagnostic tests. These may include the following:
Blood Tests: The goal here is to measure the level of tumor markers. Tumor markers are materials which exist in higher-than-normal levels when cancer is present. If the levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are higher than normal, it may recommend that there is a testicular tumor, even if a physical test or imaging test did not detect it earlier.
Not all forms of testicular cancers produce these markers. It is possible that the blood tests come back to normal, even though cancer is present.
Ultrasound: It is an analysis that uses high-frequency waves of sound that are bouncing off the tissues and internal organs. Their echoes are managed, and a picture is viewed on a monitor. An ultrasound of the scrotum can disclose the presence and also the size of a tumor. The physician may also be able to control the nature of any lumps, whether they are solid or filled with liquid, inside or outside of the testicle. This information supports the health care provider decide whether or not the lump is cancerous.
Biopsy: A small fresh sample of tissue is removed from the targeted area in the testicle and tested under a microscope by a pathologist to decide whether the lump is cancerous or non-cancerous.
In almost all cases, the only way to perform a biopsy safely is to remove the whole testicle - to carry out an orchidectomy. It is because the risk of cancer spreading if a routine biopsy is taken high. The expert will only remove the testicle for a biopsy if the lump seems to be cancerous. If a patient has two testes and one has been removed, he can still produce sperms from the other one and reproduce.
Testicular Cancer Treatments:
Testicular cancer treatment has a success statistics of about 95%, in other words, 95% of all testicular cancer patients who receive this treatment make a full recovery. The sooner a patient is detected and treated the better his prognosis is.
Treatment for testicular cancer includes
surgery, radiotherapy,
chemotherapy, or a combination.
A. Surgery
- Orchidectomy: Orchidectomy is usually the initial line of therapy. The testicle is surgically taken out to prevent the tumor from spreading. If the patient is detected and treated in Stage I, the operation may be the only treatment required.An orchidectomy is a straightforward surgery. The patient gets a general anesthetic. A smaller incision is made in the groin, and the entire testicle is removed through the incision. Patients have the alternative of having a prosthetic testicle, made of silicon, injected into the scrotum - this will be for aesthetic reasons only (not for health reasons). The patient will stay in the hospital for a few days. If the man still has one testicle following the operation, his sex life and possibilities of reproducing should not be influenced.
- Having No Testicles: If the male had both his testicles removed, or only had one testicle before the surgery; in other words, if following the surgery the patient has no testes, he will be infertile. He will not be able to produce sperms. Males who wish to have children one day should consider banking their sperm prior to operation - some sperms are kept in a sperm-bank before the testes are taken out.
- Hormone Replacement Treatment: The body will avert producing testosterone if the man has no testes. Testosterone is a males’ hormone, which among other things, is involved in driving his libido and maintaining an erection. Testosterone replacement treatment involves providing the patient with testosterones. The patient either gets injections or applies patches to the skin. Injections are given every 2-3 weeks, and testosterone replacement therapy helps continue a male's libido and erectile functions.
- Lymph node operation: If cancer has reached the lymph nodes, they will need to be surgically removed. It usually involves the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. At times, lymph node operation can result in infertility. Patients wanting to have children one day should consider banking their sperms. Nerve-sparing lymph node dissection is a surgical skill which significantly reduces the risk of subsequent infertility. The process is carried out by very expert surgeons who may not be available in several parts of the world. The chances of cancer recurrence are higher with this process because not all of the lymph node is removed.
B. Radiation Therapy
Radiotherapy (
radiation therapy), radiation oncology, and XRT is used for
testicular cancer treatment, thyroid disorders, and some blood disorders. Approximately 40% of patients with all types of cancer go through some radiotherapy. It involves the use of beams of high-energy X-rays or particles to kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy works by distorting the DNA inside the tumor cells, killing their ability to reproduce.
Patients with seminoma testicular cancer will typically need radiotherapy as well as operation. The radiotherapy is used to prohibit cancer recurrence.
Patients whose cancer has reached to their lymph nodes will require
radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy may lead to the following temporary side effects:
- Rashes
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Joint stiffness
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle stiffness
C. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals to cure cancer - more specifically; it usually refers to the destroying of cancer cells. Cytotoxic medication stops cancer cells from growing and dividing. When health care professionals discuss chemotherapy today, they tend to refer more to cytotoxic medications than others. Cytotoxic simply means to be toxic to cells; it kills cells, which in the case of
chemotherapy refers to cancer cells.
Chemotherapy drugs either interfere with a cancer cell's potential to divide and reproduce, or they are destroyed.
Chemotherapy is typically given to patients with advanced testicular cancer - cancer that has reached to other areas of the body.
Chemotherapy is also used to avert recurrence of cancer - to stop cancer from returning. Most commonly,
chemotherapy is used for the treatment of non-seminoma tumors. Treatment is administered either orally or injection. As
chemotherapy attacks healthy cells as well as cancerous ones, the patient may undergo the following temporary side effects:
- Nausea
- Hair loss
- Malaise
- Vomiting
- Tiredness
- Mouth sores
Majority people immediately link
chemotherapy with uncomfortable side effects. Anyhow, side-effect management has advanced considerably over the last twenty years. Several side effects that were once inevitable can be either prevented or well managed today. There is no reliable way to forecast how patients may react to
chemotherapy. Some go through very mild side-effect, others will have none at all, while some people will report many symptoms.
Testicular Cancer in India:
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Testicular cancer treatment cost is available amongst the best cost-effective medical packages offered by India.
