The Truth About Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer isn't the killer it used to be. In fact, it's one of the most curable forms of cancer.

"Even with men who have an advanced disease, they may still be able to be cured. Lance Armstrong would be the perfect example of an individual with an advanced testicular cancer who was cured with surgery and chemotherapy," said Dr. Charles Enke, professor and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Nebraska Medical Center.

Armstrong, the seven-time consecutive winner of the Tour de France, cycling's most prestigious race, survived testicular cancer, a germ cell tumor that spread to his brain and lungs in 1996. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery, plus chemotherapy.

Testicular cancer is cancer in one or both testicles. It usually strikes younger men.

"With testicular cancer, men tend to be diagnosed when they're in their 20s and 30s. It certainly does affect men during a very productive part of their life," Enke said.

There are three main types of testicular cancer: germ cell tumors, stromal tumors and secondary testicular tumors, according to the American Cancer Society.

The testicles have several kinds of cells, which may develop into one or more types of cancer. Germ cell tumors are the most common type of testicular cancer. These tumors grow in the cells that make sperm.

Stromal tumors grow in other parts of the testicles, such as the cells that make hormones, while secondary testicular tumors develop from cancer that has spread to the testicles from other parts of the body.

The American Cancer Society states there are nearly 140,000 men in the United States who have survived testicular cancer. The cancer society estimates there will be 7,920 new cases in the United States and 380 deaths from the disease in 2007.

Like prostate cancer, early detection is key to treating and curing testicular cancer. Monthly self-exams are very important. Enke recommends young men begin monthly self-exams after puberty and continue them until their early to mid-40s.

"Usually with testicular cancer, it's detected first by the patient," said Dr. Cam Nyugen, an associate professor and director of radiation oncology at Creighton University Medical Center.

During self-exams, men should be aware of an enlarged testicle or a lump in the testicles.

Another symptom is a heaviness or aching in the abdomen or scrotum.

When an abnormal mass is found, an ultrasound is done on the affected testicle, Nguyen said.

Treatment for testicular cancer usually involves a biopsy and surgical removal of the cancerous tumors.

"If the doctor sees a mass that looks suspicious, the diagnosis is to remove the whole testes," Nguyen said.

Surgery, by far, is the mainstay treatment, Enke said.

"The majority of men diagnosed with testicular cancer are probably diagnosed with an early stage of the disease, like stage one. Surgery may be highly curative for a majority of men," Enke said.

Depending how far the cancer has progressed, radiation therapy and chemotherapy also are used.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year relative survival rate for all men with this cancer is more than 96 percent. If the cancer hasn't spread outside the testicle, the five-year relative survival rate is 99 percent. Even if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the rate is 96 percent, and if it has spread beyond the lymph nodes, the relative survival rate is around 70 percent.

For patients with seminoma, a common type of testicular cancer, it is a very curable disease, Nguyen said.

"If you ever get cancer, this is the disease you want to get," he said.

Source: Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Powered by YellowBrix.

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