Monday, December 21, 2009

Testicular Cancer - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Prognosis

Testicular cancer is most common in men aged between 20 and 39, and is the most common form of solid tumor in men aged between 15 and 34 It can also occur in boys, but only about 3% of all testicular cancer is found in this group. Tumors usually occur in one testicle, but 2-3% of tumors can occur in both testicles, either simultaneously or at a later date. Tumors may be confined to the lymph nodes, lungs or other organs. It is more common in whitesthan in men of African and Asian origin.

Causes
Although the exact cause of testicular cancer is unknown, several factors seem to increase the risk. These include a medical history of undescended testes s (), abnormal testicular development, Klinefelter's syndrome (a sex chromosome disorder that can be characterized by low levels of male hormones, sterility, development of breasts, and small testes), men whose mothers diethylstilbestrol during pregnancy, or men who hadprevious testicular cancer. There is no link between vasectomy
and increased risk for testicular cancer.

Signs and symptoms
The first sign is usually a firm, painless, smooth testes mass, which is sometimes accompanied by a feeling of heaviness in the testicles. Other symptoms of testicular cancer include: a feeling of swelling in the scrotum, discomfort or pain in the scrotum, pain in lower back, pelvis or groin, accumulation of fluid in the scrotum, gynecomastia andNipple tenderness. In advanced stages, symptoms are: ureteral obstruction, abdominal mass, cough, shortness of breath, weight loss, fatigue, pallor and lethargy.

Treatment
Testicular cancer can be treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surveillance, or a combination of these treatments. Testicular cancer may be more difficult to treat if it has spread to the liver, bones or brain, but even in these cases, people can often be cured. If the cancer is aRecurrence of a previous tumor, treatment is usually chemotherapy with combinations of different drugs, such as ifosfamide, cisplatin, etoposide, or vinblastine, sometimes by an autologous bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation followed.

While it may be possible in some cases, to remove testicular cancer tumors from a testicle, while the functional testes, which almost never done, if more than 95% of testicular tumors are malignant. TypicallyScrotum is not removed, so that prosthesis can be introduced. Hormone replacement therapy may be necessary) after bilateral orchiectomy (removal of both testicles. Treatment for this condition is not usually interfere with sexuality, masculinity or erectile function.

Forecast
Testicular cancer has one of the highest cure rate of all cancers: metastases more than 90%, essentially 100%, if not it. Less than five percent of those who have testicular cancer, it wants back inthe remaining testicle.

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