Testicular Cancer Types, Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Testicular cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells develop in the tissues of a testicle. The testicles are male sex glands. They are involved in the production of testosterone and sperm. The testicles are two in numbers and are of walnut shaped. They are located inside the scrotum lying below the penis. Cancer means uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in your body. Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men between the ages of 15-35. People with klinefelter syndrome and undescended testicles are at higher risk for developing testicular cancer. Family history also plays an important role in the development of testicular cancer. The exact cause of testicular cancer is unknown in most cases. It is a rare type of cancer and treatment is available.

Types

There are two main types of testicular cancers which are discussed below,

1.  Seminoma testicular cancer

This type of testicular cancer develops in young germ cells. The growth and multiplication of cancerous cells is very slow. It accounts for about 30-40% cases of testicular cancers.

2.  Non-seminoma testicular cancer

This type of testicular cancer develops in more mature germ cells. The growth and multiplication of cancerous cells is more aggressive than seminoma cancer.

Causes

The exact cause of testicular cancer is unknown in most cases. Cancer means uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in your body. In testicular cancers, healthy cells begin to abnormally grow and divide in testicles. As a result of uncontrolled multiplications, collection of abnormal cells develops and causes cancers. This growth and multiplication occurs in one or both testicles, mostly the right testicle. The exact cause of this abnormal growth is still unknown.

Symptoms

The most common signs and symptoms of testicular cancer are discussed below,

• A lump in either one or both testicles
• Swelling of testicles
• A feeling of weight or heaviness in the scrotum
• Feeling of pain (dull) and discomfort in the abdomen or groin
• Accumulation of fluid in the scrotum
• Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum
• Breasts tenderness
• Changes in the size of breast tissue of males
• Back pain
• Shrinking of testicles
• Weight loss

Treatment

The treatment of testicular cancer depends upon the type, severity and stage of cancer and general health of patients. The effective treatment plan of testicular cancer consists of, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment in testicular cancer. There are three main types of surgeries performed in testicular cancer, orchiectomy, testis-sparing surgery (TSS) and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND). Orchiectomy is performed to remove the entire testicle. It is effective in both early and last stage testicular cancer. In this surgery, the spermatic cord is also removed. Testis-sparing surgery (TSS) is performed to remove the cancerous cells, not the entire testicle. It is recommended in selective or rare cases of benign tumors. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) is performed to remove the nearby lymph nodes. This surgery is recommended in non-seminomatous germ cell tumors. In radiation therapy, high-powered energy rays such as X-rays are used to kill the cancerous cells. Radiation therapy is effective in seminoma type of testicular cancer and after orchiectomy. Radiotherapy affects fertility in some people by reducing the sperm count. In chemotherapy, anticancer drugs are used to kill the cancerous cells. It is used alone or in combination with surgery or radiotherapy. In chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs are given IM or IV. Anti-cancer drugs include methotrexate and temozolomide etc.