You may have just recently been told that you have testicular cancer and want to know all you can about what testicular cancer is and what will happen to you. The important information that your doctor should share with you is that testicular cancer has a high rate of cure. Testicular cancer is a cancer that occurs in the male reproductive glands (testes). You may have the cancer in only one of your testicles or you may have it in both; tests will be used to determine where the cancer is and what extent the cancer has developed. Testicular cancer typically occurs in males who are between the ages of 15 and 35. The cancer is usually treated successfully in 95% of the cases.
According to the American Cancer Society, the incidence of testicular cancer is now rising in the U.S. and occurs 5 times more in Caucasians than it does in men of African, Scandinavian, or German descent. Males of Asian or African heritage tend to have the lowest rates of testicular cancer.
Testicular cancer originates in the germ cells and is called germ cell tumors or GCTs. There are two types of GCTs – seminomas and nonseminomas. A third type of tumor called a stromal tumor may occur in the supporting tissues of the testicle. Seminomas account for approximately 40% of the testicular cancers and nonseminomas account for 60% of all GCTs. The subtypes of nonseminomas are choriocarcinoma which is a rare, aggressive and likely to metastasize or spread to other parts of the body cancer, and embryonal carcinoma, teratoma and yolk sac carcinoma which is the one that commonly occurs in young boys but not in adult males. The stromal tumors that occur in the supporting testicular tissues can include Leydig cell tumors and Sertoli cell tumors. Usually the Leydig cell tumors develop in adult men. Sertoli cell tumors are usually benign. Your doctor will tell you which type of cancer you have after all the results are in from your testing.
Treating your testicular cancer will depend on the stage of your cancer but will likely involve surgical removal of the affected testicle combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Males who are still in the reproductive years should ask about sperm bank donation in order to help preserve their fertility before undergoing any treatments for their testicular cancer.
Surgery:
Radical inquinal orchiectomy is the surgical removal of the affected testicle and is usually the first step in cancer treatment. This surgery is performed while the male is under general or regional anesthesia and the surgery itself takes approximately an hour to perform. There is usually an overnight stay in the hospital following the procedure.
Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection is performed if a CT scan revealed that your cancer cells spread to your lymph nodes. In this surgical procedure all of your lymph nodes that are attached to your affected testicle are removed. This surgery is performed under general anesthesia and usually takes approximately 4 to 6 hours to perform.
There is some risk for complication during any surgical procedure. Your doctor will explain to you what the benefits and risks are of any surgical procedure. Some of the risks for these types of surgery include:
* Having an adverse reaction to the anesthesia used in the surgery
* A bowel obstruction
* Damage to the surrounding nerves, blood vessels, or organs
* Infection
* Permanent infertility
* Lymphocele (a lymph-filled cyst)
Your doctor can explain to you what a testicular prosthesis is (saline filled implant) this is surgically placed into your scrotum and looks and feels natural.
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