Because testicular cancer tumors show up in a very consistent way, the diagnosis of this cancer also tends to be very accurate. Fortunately, it is almost always caught early — 75 percent of men diagnosed with testicular cancer for the first time are Stage 1, which means the cancer hasn't spread beyond the testicle, and patients can expect successful treatment through surgery alone.
Testicular cancer diagnosis is confirmed by physical exam and ultrasound and supplemented by blood tests that indicate tumor markers, though not all types of testicular cancer tumors produce blood markers. When there are unusual lumps in the testicle itself, they are generally cancerous.
Testicular cancer is rare, so most medical facilities see just one or two cases per year. Testicular cancer patients are best served by multidisciplinary centers like Virginia Mason that see 30 to 50 testicular cancer patients each year and have teams of highly-skilled specialists with the experience to customize treatment for each patient. Many of the national and international guidelines for treating testicular cancer come from the work of our experts, who also lead and participate in testicular cancer research studies.
Testicular cancer treatment depends on the type of tumor, the stage of the tumor, and if and where it has spread. Treatments consist of:
For later-stage testicular cancer, treatment will consist of some combination of these.
Stage 1 patients are almost always treated by removing the testicle through a surgical procedure (called an inguinal orchiectomy) in which an incision is made near the groin. (The procedure is not done through the scrotum.) Stage 1 patients are then put on a program of monitoring (called “surveillance”) that provides for regular checkups throughout the patient’s lifetime.
Surveillance typically consists of:
Patients on a program of surveillance are strongly encouraged to stay on their course of follow-up visits so that if the cancer should come back, it will be caught early.
Stage 2 patients either need to have surgery or radiation treatment to remove the cancer that has invaded the nearby lymph nodes (back of the abdomen, or retroperitoneum) and/or a relatively short course of chemotherapy. A critical program of surveillance will be established for each Stage 2 patient.
Stage 3 patients must have surgery to remove the cancer that has invaded the nearby lymph nodes (back of the abdomen, or retroperitoneum) and aggressive chemotherapy. Radiation may also be an option for some patients, but radiation as a treatment for testicular cancer is increasingly rare. A critical program of surveillance will be established for each Stage 3 patient.
For more information about testicular cancer diagnosis or treatment options, call (206) 341-1420.