Testicular Cancer Scrotum

Cancer may affect any part of the body; lungs, stomach, respiratory organs and other parts. Testicular cancer is a common form of cancer in men, which occurs in the male egg shaped sex glands in the scrotum. It is the testicles which produce and store sperms which secrete male hormones.
This type of cancer is accountable for only one percent of all the cancers in the men. However, it occurs in young men ageing between 15-34 years with being more prevalent in white men than in Asian and blacks. Like other cancers, an early and infancy detection of testicular cancer can help in increasing the survival ratio along with appropriate administration of treatment.

Testicular cancer is also known as germ cell tumor. It is of two types, namely:

Seminoma: This accounts for about 40% of testicular cancer

Nonseminoma: This is further categorized into choriocarcinoma, teratoma, embryonal carcinoma and yolk sac tumors

Mixed germ cell tumors: The cancer which is the combination of both cancers

There are no specific symptoms of testicular cancer as it can only be detected by an accident. Therefore, regular self examination of the private parts is very important to detect any unusual lump.

Certain abnormal symptoms may include:

• A pea, or egg size protuberance (of any size)
• Inflamed swollen testicles
• A sensation of heaviness or sudden flow of liquid in the scrotum

Apart from the above some other symptoms which need a physician’s examination may be related to a dull pain in the lower abdomen or groin, or an unusual tenderness in the breasts.

Underdevelopment of testicles, Klinefelter’s syndrome where the man experience sterility, small testes, breast enlargement and lesser male hormones and those who have had testicular cancer are all prone developing cancer on the other testicle in the 25 years after the attack.

There are three stages of testicular cancer, namely:

Stage 1: Where the cancer is timely detected and is limited and confined to the testicles

Stage 2: Where the cancer may spread to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes which are situated at the back of the body below the diaphragm

Stage 3: Where the testicular cancer spreads beyond the lymph nodes to other parts of the body

The treatment is determined on the basis of type and stage of the testicular cancer, which involve the removal of the affected testicle. Before opting for any kind of surgery the side effects of fertility and sexuality must also be looked upon.

Copyright 2009