What is testicular cancer?
Testicular cancer is rare compared to other types of cancer. However, it is the most common cancer among guys aged between 15 and 35.
Always remember that testicular cancer can affect men of any age, but it is most often found in men aged 15 to 44 years. The disease is treatable, and it can be cured with early diagnosis. The risk of dying from it is also very slim.
The treatment depends on factors such as
- Cancer cell-type
- Patient’s overall health
- The spread area
Once the treatment starts, doctors aim to reduce the treatment's side effects. Aster Hospital is one of the best hospitals in the UAE that has a good cancer care unit.
Symptoms
The most common sign is a painless lump in the testicle. Other symptoms may include
- Swelling of the testicle (pain or painless)
- Tenderness or changes in the male breast tissue
Non-cancerous symptoms
Change in size or a lump in a testicle
- An abnormal opening known as a hernia will develop in the abdominal muscle
- A fluid known as hydrocele will build-up in the membrane around the testicle
- Development of varicocele, the enlargement of the blood vessels from the testicle
- Formation of cysts called spermatocele in the epididymis
Pain
Infection:
- Orchitis (infection in the testicle)
- Epididymitis (infection in the epididymis)
Patients suspected of possible infection are recommended antibiotics. Testicular cancer tests may be done if antibiotics do not solve the problem.
- Injury
- Twisting
If you are concerned about any changes you experience, consult an oncologist in Dubai.
Causes of testicular cancer
The causes of testicular cancer are still unknown. According to doctors, the disease occurs healthy cells in a testicle become altered. The cancer cells start growing when some healthy cell develops abnormalities.
Germ cells are the cells in the testicles that produce immature sperm and nearly all testicular cancers start growing there.
Testicular cancer is rare but also more common in men who:
- Experience abnormal testicle development
- Have a family history of testicular cancer
- Have had an undescended testicle
What are the three main kinds of treatment for testicular cancer?
Surgical treatment
In this treatment, doctors will remove the testicle (orchiectomy) and associated lymph nodes (lymph-node dissection).
For both seminoma and non-seminoma testicular cancers, orchiectomy is performed and for non-seminomas, lymph node is removed.
Doctors can prefer surgery if they need to remove tumors from the lungs or liver.
Radiation therapy
High doses of X-rays are used to kill cancer cells in this treatment. This treatment might be used after surgery for patients with seminomas to prevent the resurgence of tumor formation. Radiation therapy is limited to the treatment of seminomas.
Chemotherapy
This treatment uses drugs such as cisplatin, bleomycin, and etoposide to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy has improved the survival rate for people with both seminomas and non-seminomas.The chances of recovery from testicular cancer are good for most men. Over 95 percent of cancer cases are treated successfully. It is reported, on average, a 50 percent chance of being cured for men with unfavorable risk factors.