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Testicular cancer

Description

Cancer that occurs in the testicles i.e. located inside a men’s scrotum & is a loose bag of skin beneath the penis. Testicles are responsible for making male sex hormones & sperm for reproduction. As compared to other cancers, testicular cancer is rare. It may affect men or boys at any age but mostly it is found in men age 15 to 44 years.

It is highly treatable even when cancer has spread past the testicles. The treatment will depend upon your condition & stage of cancer. You may receive one or several combination medications/treatments. To cure it in early stages only, men are advised to learn of all possible early signs & how to do a testicular self-examination.

Causes

Its causes are pretty much unclear. However, testicular cancer develops when your healthy cells in testicles are altered. That happens when healthy cells that were keeping body functions in a normal manner, develop abnormalities & cause growth to get out of control. These accumulating cells produce a mass in the testicle. This cancer develops in germ cells (that produce immature sperm), however, why cancer develops is unknown.

Risk factors

Mostly it is not possible to avoid the risk factors of testicular cancer. But men with the highest risk include:

  • A family member (father or brother) who has had a history of testicular cancer
  • History of undescended testes or cryptorchidism (a condition where testes don’t drop before birth)
  • Germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) i.e. abnormal cells in the testicle, which is mostly found in infertility test.
  • Klinefelter syndrome (testicle develop abnormally)
  • Small calcifications in the testicle (microlithiasis) is not a risk factor of testicular cancer.

If you fall in any of these categories, then do a testicular self-examination every month.

Symptoms

Its symptoms include:

  • Enlargement or lump in testicles
  • A dull ache in groin/abdomen
  • Heaviness felt in the scrotum
  • A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum
  • Tenderness or enlargement of breasts
  • Pain or discomfort in scrotum or testicle
  • Back pain

Cancer mostly develops in only one testicle; however, it may spread. 

Diagnosis

First & foremost will be to do a testicular self-exam:

After a warm bath or shower, while standing, gently but firmly roll each testicle b/w thumb & forefingers and feel the whole surface. And look for any lump, swelling, bumps or something that doesn’t seem normal (even if they are not causing pain).

The medical exams include:

  • Health record & physical exam done by a urologist.
  • Testicular ultrasound (imaging test to see inside the scrotum)
  • Blood tests are made to check tumor markers.
  • Serum tumor marker test will be measured before the treatment.
Management

Its treatment option includes:

  • Surveillance
  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy
  • In men who plan to have children in the future, sperm banking can be a useful option before treatment.
  • You may ask for a fake body part (testicular prosthesis) before surgery if you wish to look normal after your testis has been removed.

This cancer in children is rare but its treatment may include:

  • Inguinal exploration (testicle guided out of scrotum)
  • Testis sparing surgery (TSS), here tumor tissue is removed.
  • Total orchiectomy (surgery to remove testis)
  • Children are checked for 2 years after treatment, to make sure everything is well.
When to consult a doctor?

If you experience a suspicious lump, swelling or pain in testicles or area near the groin, and symptoms persist for longer than 2 weeks, then consult your healthcare provider.

Available Medicine for Testicular cancer

Etocid 100mg

Rs.0

A.J Mirza

Etoposide 100mg

Rs.794.25

Pfizer

Etopul 100mg

Rs.626.5

Al-Habib

Etoside 100mg

Rs.560

Medinet

Fytosid 100mg

Rs.550

Atco

Lastet 50mg

Rs.425

S.Ejazuddin

Lastet 100mg

Rs.846

S.Ejazuddin

Lymhoside 100mg

Rs.0

CCL

Toposide 100mg

Rs.669

Pharmadic