Testicular cancer: signs can alert

This cancer can remain silent for a long time. But a sign can alert you, and a simple gesture allows you to reveal it.

The INCa (National Cancer Institute) indicates that “Testicular cancer is most often diagnosed following the appearance of a mass that you may have discovered on palpation or that has been detected by your doctor..

Often occurring in young men, Public Health France informs us that in France, and with regard to the year 2018, the estimated number of new cases of testicular cancer was 2,769 and the estimated number death rate of 86.

Testicular cancer: What signs?

Of the symptoms, one of the most common is that lump that “does not regress over time, specifies the INCa which adds that“It is hard to the touch and most often painless”. In other cases a feeling of heaviness in the testicles may occur, and “The testicle as a whole can swell and increase in size, sometimes suddenly.”

Another potential increase, the rapid increase in the breasts in the affected man, and which is called gynecomastia: “It is caused by the secretion of a hormone, HCG, by the testicular tumor”. Back pain, weight loss, a lump in the abdomen, or difficulty breathing may be other signs.

A palpable mass

Let’s come back to the most frequent sign, which is therefore the presence of the mass. It is recommended to carry out this self-examination once a month from the age of 14.

The ARC Research Foundation explains how to do this:

The ideal moment is when you get out of the shower because the heat of the water relaxes the skin of the testicles, which facilitates palpation. In front of a mirror, they must be examined, one following the other, by rolling the gland between the thumb and the four fingers. The four fingers are placed under the testicle and the thumb above. Note that it is normal for one to be larger than the other.

If an abnormality seems to be detected by the patient, a doctor will have to perform this palpation himself and potentially prescribe blood tests to assess the levels of three biomarkers, which are AFP, total hCG and LDH. Testicular removal may be necessary if the disease is confirmed.