Nearly 3,000 testicular cancers were diagnosed in 2018, according to Santé Publique France. “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.specifies theInstitut national du cancer. Also, other warning signs can help diagnose the disease quickly.
What are the symptoms of testicular cancer?
The most common symptom of this cancer is therefore the presence of a palpable mass on the testicle. “This mass does not regress over time, says the National Cancer Institute. It is hard to the touch and most often painless“Sometimes the disease may manifest as a feeling of heaviness in the testicles, or discomfort. In all cases, these symptoms must be persistent.”The testicle as a whole can swell and increase in size, sometimes suddenly.”adds the organization.
However, other bodily signals can alert. The National Cancer Institute cites gynecomastia in particular: a “development of breasts in men, which appears quickly”. “It is caused by the secretion of a hormone, HCG, by the tumor of the testicle., he explains. The disease can also result in pain in the back, weight loss, the presence of a mass in the abdomen or difficulty breathing.
Testicular cancer: how to perform a self-examination?
As with other cancers, a sufficiently early diagnosis allows treatment to be started before the disease reaches too advanced a stage. For this reason, it is important to be alert to potential cancer signals. There Fondation ARC for cancer research recalls that it is advisable to perform self-examination of the testicles from the age of 14, once a month. “The ideal moment is when you get out of the shower because the heat of the water has relaxed the skin of the purses, which facilitates palpation, develop the organism. In front of a mirror, examine the testicles 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. (…) Palpating a small mass that was absent during previous self-examinations should lead to consulting a doctor.”
What are the risk factors for testicular cancer?
Some people are at higher risk of developing testicular cancer. The fact of having suffered from it in the past increases the chances that a tumor will develop once more. But other factors can also increase the risk, such as cryptorchidism. This term designates the fact that one of the testicles does not descend correctly towards the scrotum, before birth. This requires surgery to replace it correctly. Not all of the men involved develop cancer later on, but the National Cancer Institute warns: “EIn the event of a mass being discovered on a testicle, talk to your doctor regarding it, mentioning to him that you have been treated for cryptorchidism.
Testicular cancer: how is it treated?
If there is a sign of cancer, the attending physician first performs a palpation, then generally prescribes an ultrasound. Blood tests can also assess the levels of three biomarkers of the disease: AFP, total hCG and LDH. If the diagnosis of cancer is confirmed, the treatment then involves removal of the testicle concerned. “The operation consists of removing the testicle in which the tumor has developed and the nearby tissues to which it may have spread., says the National Cancer Institute. In parallel, chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy may be recommended, or lymph node dissection, “which makes it possible to remove, by a second surgical operation, the lymph nodes likely to be affected by cancerous cells”.
