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Chapters

0:00 Introduction
1:24 Causes of Testicular Cancer
2:09 Symptoms of Testicular Cancer
2:33 Diagnosis of Testicular Cancer
4:01 Treatment of Testicular Cancer


Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum.Treatment may result in infertility.

Risk factors include an undescended testis, family history of the disease, and previous history of testicular cancer. The most common type is germ cell tumors which are divided into seminomas and nonseminomas. Other types include sex-cord stromal tumors and lymphomas.Diagnosis is typically based on a physical exam, ultrasound, and blood tests. Surgical removal of the testicle with examination under a microscope is then done to determine the type.

Testicular cancer is highly treatable and usually curable. Treatment options may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or stem cell transplantation. Even in cases in which cancer has spread widely, chemotherapy offers a cure rate greater than 80%.

Globally testicular cancer affected about 686,000 people in 2015.That year it resulted in 9,400 deaths up from 7,000 deaths in 1990. Rates are lower in the developing than the developed world. Onset most commonly occurs in males 20 to 34 years old, rarely before 15 years old. The five-year survival rate in the United States is about 95%.Outcomes are better when the disease remains localized.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer of younger men between age 30-34, it’s the most common cancer in men. However, 6% of testicular cancers do occur in children and teens, and 7% occur in people over 55. But, it's still a good idea to do a self-check which is a really easy and free way to screen yourself for cancer that is very very curable especially if caught early. So when you're doing a self exam, it's really simple usually you're in the shower and so everything is accessible. What I recommend is two fingers under, and then just roll the testicle around in your finger. You don't have to squeeze, and it doesn't have to be painful at all, but you're feeling for any lumps or bumps, or for any asymmetry where one is bigger than the other, or there's a bump or or growth or something that's changed over the course of the last month. You want to be sure to check both of them thoroughly. You want to be sure to roll it all the way around so that you can feel you know the full surface of the testicle; it is basically the men's version of the breast exam that women have to do every month. A once a month self-check should be adequate. I'm sure that while you're cleaning yourself things are getting checked on a daily basis, but once a month if you pay attention to what you're doing that should be fine. It is very simple and it can save your life.

Jake Ruddle knows his body, and one day last summer he noticed something wasn’t right. A visit to the doctor confirmed he had testicular cancer, and he immediately underwent surgery to remove it.

In late October, he began chemotherapy treatments in an effort to prevent the cancer from returning. Jake talks about his cancer journey, which started with paying attention to the warning signs.

A chance occurrence changed Bill Pooley's life.

"I happened to be watching a medical show and the doctor said 'you guys don't forget you should be doing self exams too. Especially you young guys, testicular cancer is on the rise'," says Pooley.

So Pooley prepared to try his hand at a self-exam.

"I decided next shower I would go and check it out. And I found a lump," says Pooley.

Doctors are seeing it more often. From 1973 to 1992, the rate of testicular cancer increased by more than 50%. The rise continued through the last decade to roughly seven cases per 100,000.

"Testicular cancer is what I call painless mass. Most of the time you don't have any sign or symptom beside the mass. So you are not going to have any achiness or fever or tiredness," says Dr. Meir Daller, urologist on Lee Memorial Health System's medical staff.

It's the most common cancer found in men between the ages of 15 and 40. Easily detected through a self-exam, young men are less likely to think about it or report it.

"Men are embarrassed by the cancer and present to the doctor quite late. Most men at the age of 30- 40, feel that they're immune from health issues," says Dr. Daller.

The silver lining with testicular cancer is that it's very treatable. With surgery it's 90% curable when cases are caught early. If it's spread the cure rate is 85%

"So we right away are going to do an orchidectomy, a removal of that testis. If it is metastasized, even if there's cancer in the brain, cancer in the lungs, cancer on the lymph nodes, it's curable." says Dr. Daller.

Pooley underwent surgery and radiation. Four years of follow up finds him cancer free.

"I pay a little bit more attention to the signs now," says Pooley.

And grateful that his feelings paid off.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we've been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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