Diagnosed with Testicular Cancer? Know your treatment options.

Testicular cancer is one of the leading cancers in men between the ages of 15 and 35. Every twenty-four hours, one man dies from the disease. On the other hand, testicular cancer is also one of the most curable cancers. With early detection, it is highly treatable, even after the cancer has spread outside the testicles. 

Key facts about testicular cancer:

• Most common among men ages 15-35

• Ages 20-39 have highest risk

• Average age of diagnosis – 33 years old

• Highly treatable and usually curable

• 95% survival rate

Signs and symptoms:

• Testicular pain or discomfort 

• Lump in testicle or swollen testicle

• Feeling of heaviness in scrotum

• Pain in back or lower abdomen

• An abnormal change in the way your testicle feels

There may also be no symptoms at all.

Risk factors:

• Caucasian 

• Family history

• Undescended testicle

Treatment options for testicular cancer depend on a number of factors including the type of the cancer, the stage of the cancer, and your overall health. Here are the available testicular cancer treatment options:

Surgery

• Orchiectomy: surgery to remove the testicle

• Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection: For some patients, especially with nonseminoma testicular cancer, the lymph node may also be removed. 

• Nerve-sparing surgery: Surgeons use this to prevent nerve damage surrounding the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. By sparing the nerves, men can maintain normal erectile function after surgery. 

• Reconstructive surgery: Men can have a prosthetic testicle implanted in the scrotum to replace the surgically removed testicle. The appearance and feel of the prosthesis is similar to a real testicle. 

Possible side effects of testicular cancer surgery include: If one testicle is removed, most men can still get erections since they will still produce enough testosterone. If both testicles are removed, men can no longer have children or get an erection because they are unable to produce any testosterone without their testicles. However, testosterone can be replaced using gels, patches, or shots. In addition, men who need to have both testicles removed and plan to have children after surgery should visit a sperm bank to harbor their sperm cells. 

Radiation Therapy

Men with testicular cancer may have radiation after surgery if the cancer was not completely removed or if the cancer returns. Testicular cancer is still treatable if it comes back. Radiation treatment is not as affective for other types of testicular cancer. These are then treated with surgery to remove the testicles and lymph nodes, and chemotherapy. 

Possible side effects of radiation: Fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea. Side effects improve after radiation is complete. Risk of side effects can also be reduced with a skilled doctor who gives the exact dosage and is extremely accurate in targeting and hitting the tumor during treatment. 

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is usually given when testicular cancer has spread outside the testicles, to distant locations within the body. It is usually given for nine weeks or longer. Chemotherapy is effective in that it will ensure all the cancer cells have been killed. It is sometimes used in combination with surgery. The most commonly used chemotherapy combinations for testicular cancer are BEP: Blenoxane, Etopophos, or Vepesid, and Platinol, and EP: Etopophos or Vepesid and Platinol. 

Possible side effects of chemotherapy: Hair loss, mouth sores, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, increased risk of infections, easy bruising or bleeding, and fatigue. 

Stem Cell Transplantation

Stem cell transplantation is mostly used when a patient experiences a testicular cancer recurrence after having had a prior successful treatment. 

Surveillance

Surveillance is most often used to monitor patients for early signs of a recurrence of testicular cancer. Doctors closely track a patient’s disease using certain exams and tests on a set schedule. No treatment will be given unless there is an abnormal change in the patient’s test results indicating the cancer has come back.