What Will Happen If The Doctor Decides That I Do Have Testicular Cancer?

Firstly, do not panic. Testicular cancer is highly curable if discovered reasonably early. Even if the disease is advanced most people will be cured. You will need a number of things you will need to do before treatment begins-

• Blood test - some cancers produce abnormalities in the blood. These can be measured before and after treatment to assess how your treatment is progressing.
• Chest X Ray - Testicular cancer can spread to the lungs. It is still curable. Because you will need an anaesthetic we will sometimes need to check your lungs prior to surgery.
• Sperm banking - Although the operation that you will be having will not directly affect your fertility, further treatment may do. It is therefore advisable for you to save a specimen of sperm (semen) at your local hospital. This can then be used during fertility treatment at a later date if you have not yet completed your family. Testicular cancer is sometime related to infertility. It may be that you will have a very low sperm count. This may make natural conception difficult at a later date. If this is the case then you may get help from fertility specialists at a later date.
• Consider a prosthetic or false testicle. These artificial testicles are not quite the same as the real thing but in the shower or on the beach they are indistinguishable from it. They are made of silicon and can therefore suffer the same fate as breast implants, i.e. the formation of calcium around it, bursting or infection. Thus they are not without a small risk. The choice as whether to have one or not is yours. You must tell your surgeon however before your testicular operation.

Surgery - Removing the Testicle

The operation to remove the testicle will be performed through your groin. It is in exactly the same place as a hernia operation, i.e. at the lower part of your tummy, just of to one side. Some patients need a biopsy of the opposite testes at the same time, your doctor will discuss this with you if necessary. You will experience some discomfort after the operation but patients are often surprised how little pain there is. You are very likely to go home the day after surgery.

What Happens Next?

The testicle that has been removed will be sent to the laboratory for analysis. There is still a small chance that it will not be cancerous. None of the investigation that we use before surgery are 100% accurate.

You will be sent for whole body scan called a CT scan which will produce pictures of your abdomen and chest. We use this to check for evidence of spread of the cancer to other parts of your body.

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