Understanding What Testicular Cancer Is

By Toni Vang


Today, cancer is a disease that is claiming lives of men and women of various ages at an increasing rate. Testicular cancer is specific to the testicles, but it the abnormal cells may migrate to other organs. The condition killed 8, 300 people on a global scale according to the statistics from 2013. The deaths record in 2013 was an increase from that of 1990 by 1, 300 deaths. In the US, number of men diagnosed with the disease annually is 8000, while in the UK it is 2000.

Despite of aforementioned scary news, this cancer is one amoong the cancers with the highest cure rates. On average, five-year survival rate is at 95%. The five-year survival rate rises to 99% if the condition has not spread to other parts of the body and reduces to 96% if it has spread. The current cure rate offered by chemotherapy is at 80%.

The condition is named depending on the part of the body where it originated. As such, even if it spreads to the lungs, it is still referred to as cancer of the testes. Research indicates that every male in 200 males is at risk of developing the disorder. This kind of cancer is the most commonly observed among males aged between 20 and 39. It is however very rare among males aged below 15 years.

There are diverse symptoms for this disease, but the most pronounced one is lumps in testicles. Self-examinations are encouraged, but routine screen is not. Individuals from families with a history of cancer should be more careful and do more self-examinations. Young people are at a higher risk of developing the disease.

Normally lumps occur in one testis and my come with pain or not. Presence of lumps makes doctors to conduct further tests. Additional symptoms that occur commonly include painful scrotum or abdomen, breast enlargement, the scrotum feeling heavy, and lower back pain. Signs come one at a time or several at once. Cancerous cells may spread to the lungs and when that happens, shortness of breath and lumps in the neck may be experienced.

Hematocele, varicocele, and epididymitis have similar symptoms as the condition, therefore one should exercise caution. Evaluation of any lump occurring in the testes is normally conducted through scrotal ultrasound. The ultrasound determines the characteristics of the lump, which can help in identifying its kind. Some of the characteristics determined include location and size.

Location of metastases and extent of disease is performed through CT scans. Blood tests may also utilize to identify the disease. Tumor markers in form of specific proteins within the bloodstream are made use of during the blood test. Alpha-fetoprotein, LDH-1, and human chorionic gonadotropin are the proteins that serve as tumor markers for the detection of the illness through blood tests. The efficiency of blood tests is not quite high.

There are three treatment options available. These options are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. Each method is performed by different specialists. Radiation oncologists perform radiation therapy, medical oncologists perform chemotherapy, while urologists perform surgery. Success of treatment depends on the stage of this disease at the time treatment is started.




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