Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer

Regular self-examination will help you become more aware of the normal feel and size of your testicles so that any abnormalities can be spotted early on.

A lump in either testicle
Any enlargement of the testicle
A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
A dull ache in the abdomen or groin
A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum
Growth or tenderness of the upper chest

If you do have any of these symptoms, don’t just wait and hope that they disappear - go and get checked out by your doctor. Most lumps are not cancerous but the earlier you find out, the earlier you can get any necessary treatment.

And remember – if caught at an early stage, testicular cancer can have a cure rate as high as 99%.
f your doctor thinks that you might be suffering from testicular cancer, he is likely to recommend one or more of the following options:

Referral to a surgeon
A blood test
A biopsy
An X-Ray
An ultrasound scan

These tests are firstly to determine whether you have testicular cancer and secondly, to discover to what extent, if any, the cancer might have spread.

What if the diagnosis is testicular cancer?

If caught early and the cancer has not spread, treatment will ordinarily be the surgical removal of the cancerous testicle. If the cancer has spread, this will usually be followed by a three to four month course of chemotherapy.

Treatment for testicular cancer may be very intensive, but most patients cured of testicular cancer have no long-term side effects from treatment. It is extremely likely that both your fertility and your sex life will recover after the end of your treatment.

If you have a testicle surgically removed, you should have the option to have a prosthetic replacement fitted. The remaining, healthy testicle tends to be able to produce enough sperm to compensate for the loss.

Thanks to advances that we have made, with treatment, testicular cancer has an overall cure rate of 95%. The cure rate can be as high as 99% if caught at an early stage.