Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer is a form of cancer that effects the testicles. The testicles are the part of the male reproductive system that produces male sex hormones and sperm. Testicular cancer is rare when it is compared to other types of cancer, but it is the most common cancer found in males who are between the ages of 15 and 34. Testicular cancer is treatable, and depending on what stage of testicular cancer you are in there are quite a few forms of treatment you may receive. The best way to make sure everything is okay in your testes is to give yourself regular self-examinations to determine if you have any abnormal growths in their early stages, which makes the chance for having successful treatment higher.

 Testicular cancer symptoms typically consist of ( but is not limited to) a dull ache in the abdomen or groin, a sudden collection of fluids in the scrotum, a lump or enlargement in either testicle, unexplained feeling of not being well or fatigue, a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum. Testicular cancer usually only effects one testicle. You should see your doctor if you feel any swelling or lumps in your testicles, or if you feel any pain in your testicles. If these feelings last for longer than a few weeks it is very important for you to schedule an appointment with your physician. In a lot of cases of testicular cancer if you have a lump or enlargement in your testicle it will not be painful at first, even though there is lack of pain it is still very important to get it checked out.

It is known that testicular cancer happens when the healthy cells in a testicle change. Healthy cells are supposed to grow and divide in a mannerly fashion. Sometimes a few of the cells develop an abnormality (cancerous cells) which causes the cell's growth to get out of control, which makes the cancer cells continue to divide even when new cells aren't needed. This abnormal growth and division of cells causes the mass (lump) in the testicle. Majority of cancers begin in the germ cells, the germ cells are the cells in the testicles that produce immature sperm. The reason why the germ cells become cancer is still unknown.

One of the factors that can increase your risk of developing testicular cancer is your family history, if anyone in your family have been diagnosed with testicular cancer you are at an increased risk. Also testicular cancer is a lot more common in Caucasian men rather that African American men. If you have abnormal testicle development, which is shown in a syndrome called Klinefelters, will increase your chances of developing testicular cancer. Cryporchidism, which means one of your testes did not drop, can also increase the risks, but testicular cancer still effects the majority of men who do not have this condition.
Any one of these factors may or may not increase your risks.

For your doctor to determine whether you have testicular cancer or not he may have you take an ultrasound, blood tests, or you may have to get surgery to remove one of your testicles. By removing the testicle that has the cancer the doctor will be able to have the testicle examined to determined what kind of testicular cancer you have. There are two types of testicular cancer seminoma and nonseminoma. Seminoma tumors can occur in men of any age group, but it is more common for an older man to have this type of testicular cancer. Seminoma tumors are generally not as aggressive as the nonseminoma tumors and are more sensitive to radiation therapy. Nonseminoma tumors are usually more commonly seen in younger patients with testicular cancer. Nonseminoma tumors grow and spread to other parts of the body fast. Nonseminoma tumors are sensitive to radiation therapy, but not as sensitive as the seminoma tumors. Chemotherapy is another treatment option that is effective towards nonseminoma tumors.

There is no prevention method that is 100% effective in preventing testicular cancer. The best thing you can do is give yourself regular testicle self-examinations so that you can be sure to identify whether you have testicular cancer while it is in an early stage. The best time to examine your testicles if after you have been in a warm bath or shower, the warmth from the water will relax your scrotum making it much easier for you to feel something abnormal. To perform the examination you should stand in front of a mirror and examine your testicles to determine if there is any swelling of the scrotum in either testicle, you you examine both testicles separately.  You should grasp your testicle in your palm by placing your thumb towards the top of the testicle. You should move the testicle around in your hand and remember that it is normal for one of the testes to be  a bit larger than the other. You should take into account that the testicles should be a smooth oval shape and feel a little bit firm. If you properly do the self-examination regularly you should be able to notice if there is any changes in either testicle. If you seem to feel any lumps in either testicle you should immediately contact your doctor.

There are a few different kinds of treatments for testicular cancer. There are some treatments that are currently being used with testicular cancer patients, and there are some treatments that are going through clinical trials to try to determine newer more effective methods of treatment. If you have testicular cancer it would be good for you to take part in one of these clinical trials to help discover new forms of treatments. There are three different treatments that are standardly used today, surgery to remove the testicle that has cancer to determine if there is testicular cancer, and with surgery doctors can also remove the testicular cancer tumors if they have spread to other parts of the body.

After surgery some patients may be required to do through chemotherapy or radiation therapy to make sure that if there is any cancerous cells left that they will be killed. Radiation therapy works by having a needle or catheter placed into or near the cancer and then radiation will be sent into the cancer causing the cancer to die. Radiation therapy can be given in several different ways, and the way it will be given depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Chemotherapy is different in the way that it is effective by taking drugs to end the growth of the cancer cells by either killing them or stopping them from dividing. There are different ways chemotherapy can be taken either through the mouth, injected in a vein or being placed directly into an organ or body cavity. It the chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injection it can reach cancer cells that are all over the body, but when it is placed directly it will only effect the area it is placed at. The type and stage of testicular cancer can effect what way chemotherapy is administered.
There are a few new types of treatments that are being tested in clinical trials. These clinical trial treatments include high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplants, this method is giving a patient with testicular cancer high doses of chemotherapy and removing stem cells, which are immature blood cells, and freezing them and giving them back to the patient after the chemotherapy is over through a blood transfusion, the stem cells restore and grow into the blood cells. If you are thinking about taking part in a clinical trial, remember that you can enter a clinical trial before, during, or after you start your cancer treatment.
Men who have been diagnosed with testicular cancer have an increased risk of getting testicular cancer in their other testicle, any testicular cancer patient is advised to give themselves regular self examinations in their other testicle and to report any abnormalities to their doctor immediately.