Testicular cancer

Alternative names:

cancer of the testes; testicular neoplasm

Symptoms:

• testicular enlargement
• testicle lump
• pain in the back or abdominal discomfort
• breast enlargement (gynecomastia)
• blood in the semen
• testicular discomfort/pain (rare, but may occur occasionally)

Note: There may be no symptoms.

Signs and tests:

A physical examination typically reveals a firm, non-tender testicular mass (aggregation of cells) that does not transilluminate (light from flashlight held to scrotum does not pass through mass).

Other tests include:

• Scrotal ultrasound is used to confirm solid mass.
• alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) may be elevated with some types of tumors.
• A chest X-ray is done to look for potential metastasis to the lungs.
• An abdominal CT scan may be done to look for potential metastasis.
• Tissue biopsies to determine the type of cancer.

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

• testosterone
• HCG (quantitative)
• HCG (qualitative - urine)
• HCG (qualitative - serum)
• estriol - urine
• estriol - serum
• 17-ketosteroids