Who is affected by testicular cancer

It's important that undescended testicles move down into the scrotum during early childhood because boys with undescended testicles have a higher risk of developing testicular cancer than boys whose testicles descend normally. Men with undescended testicles are about 3 times more likely to develop testicular cancer than men whose testicles descend at birth or shortly after.

Having a close relative with a history of testicular cancer or an undescended testicle increases your risk of also developing it. For example, if your father had testicular cancer, you're around 4 times more likely to develop it than someone with no family history of the condition. Current research suggests a number of genes may be involved in the development of testicular cancer in families where more than 1 person has had the condition.

This is an ongoing area of research in which patients and their families may be asked to take part. Men who have previously been diagnosed with testicular cancer are between 12 and 18 times more likely to develop it in the other testicle.

For this reason, if you have been diagnosed with testicular cancer, it's very important that you keep a close eye on the other testicle. Find out what testicles should look and feel like.

If you have been diagnosed with testicular cancer, you also need to be observed for signs of recurrence for between 5 and 10 years, so it's very important that you attend your follow-up appointments. The stage of a cancer means how far it has grown in your body. This system describes:. Another way of staging cancer is with numbers. Stage 1 means that the cancer is found only in the testicle early-stage cancer.

Stage 2 and above mean that the cancer has spread outside the testicle to the lymph nodes in the abdomen or pelvis, or to other areas of the body. Ask your doctor or nurse to explain the stage of the cancer.

You can also read more from Cancer Council about diagnosing testicular cancer. When someone is diagnosed with testicular cancer, their doctor will give them a prognosis. A prognosis is the doctor's opinion of how likely the cancer will spread and the chances of getting better. A prognosis depends on the type and stage of cancer, test results and a person's age, fitness and medical history. Testicular cancer has the highest survival rates of any cancer other than common skin cancers.

Regular monitoring is a major factor in ensuring good outcomes, so it's vital that you attend all your follow-up appointments. If you have testicular cancer, your doctor will talk to you about your individual situation when working out your prognosis.

Every person's experience is different, and there is support available to you. If you had an orchidectomy and the cancer was completely removed along with your testicle, you may not need further treatment.

Instead, you will have surveillance, which is a schedule of regular blood tests, chest x-rays and CT scans for 5 to 10 years. This will help find if there is any cancer remaining or if the cancer has come back.

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with drugs that aim to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Your treatment team may assess that there is a moderate risk of the cancer spreading or returning. In this case, a single dose or 2 cycles of chemotherapy will be recommended. In rare cases, when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy may be given before surgery as the main treatment. Radiation therapy uses a controlled dose of radiation to kill cancer cells or damage them so they cannot grow, multiply or spread.

Radiation therapy is sometimes given to people with seminoma cancer after surgery to prevent the cancer from coming back or to destroy any cancer cells that may have already spread from the cancer to the lymph nodes.

In some cases, an operation called a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection RPLND or lymphadenectomy is done to remove lymph nodes at the back of the abdomen that may contain cancer cells.

All cancer treatments can have side effects. Your treatment team will discuss these with you before you start treatment.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about any side effects you are experiencing. Some side effects can be upsetting and difficult, but there is help if you need it. Call Cancer Council Tel. Having testicular cancer and treatment can change the way you feel about yourself, other people, relationships and sex.

We have more detailed information for health professionals about testicular cancer risks and causes. Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles. The testicles are part of the male reproductive system. Your type of testicular cancer depends on which type of cell it started in. Knowing your type helps the doctor decide which treatment you need. You usually start by seeing your GP.

They might refer you for tests or to a specialist if you have symptoms that could be caused by testicular cancer. You usually have surgery and might have chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This depends on the stage and type of your testicular cancer. About Cancer generously supported by Dangoor Education since Questions about cancer?

Call freephone 9 to 5 Monday to Friday or email us. Skip to main content. Home About cancer Testicular cancer Risks and causes. Find out about the causes of testicular cancer. What is a risk factor? Anything that can increase your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Risk factors for testicular cancer Undescended testicles cryptorchidism. Abnormal cells in the testicle carcinoma in situ. CIS is most often found when a man has a testicular biopsy to check for infertility.

It can be treated by removing the testicle to prevent testicular cancer from developing. Ilic D, et al. Screening for testicular cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Riggin EA. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. October, Cheney SM, et al.

Robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection: Technique and initial case series of 18 patients. BJU International. Costello BA expert opinion. Steele SS, et al. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and staging of testicular germ cell tumors. Anastasiou I, et al. Synchronous bilateral testicular tumors with different histopathology. Case Reports in Urology. Rovito MJ, et al. Preventive Medicine Reports. Amin MB, et al. New York, N.

Related Testicular lumps Testicular microlithiasis Testicular self-examination. News from Mayo Clinic First test to detect recently discovered autoimmune disease associated with testicular cancer June 16, , p.