If properly treated, testicular cancer is one of the least dangerous cancers—over 90% of all cases can be cured.

As with any cancer, cure is most readily and reliably obtained when every cancer cell has been eliminated. Because testicular cancer is most often found at an early stage (because men report problems with their testicles quite readily to their doctors), cure is the most common result.

Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for both seminoma and nonseminoma type tumors. Radiotherapy after surgery is always considered when the cancer is early and is a seminoma. More controversial is how to treat the nonseminoma tumors after surgery.

Some advocate chemotherapy in all patients, while some recommend only giving it to patients with more advanced disease, including those whose disease has spread to the lymph nodes. Radiotherapy is not usually given to patients with nonseminoma tumors unless the cancer has come back after chemotherapy or is very large.

Some forms of treatment may affect your fertility. If you would like to be able to have children after treatment, talk to your doctor about your options. You may want to have your semen frozen for possible future use.

Treatment may involve the following:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Medications

References:

The Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc. website. Available at: http://www.acor.org. Accessed January 31, 2006.

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center website. Available at: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/. Accessed January 31, 2006.

Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2000.

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