What is Testicular cancer?
'''Testicular cancer''' is [[cancer]] in one or both [[testicle]]s, a part of the [[male]] [[Human reproductive system|reproductive system]]. In the United States, about 8,000 to 9,000 people are diagnosed with the cancer every year. Every male has a 1 in 250 (four tenths of one percent, or 0.4%) chance of being diagnosed with it. It is most common among males aged 15-40 years. Testicular cancer has one of the highest cure rates of all cancers; more than 90%. This is most often achieved by removing one or both testicles. Even in the small number of cases where the cancer has spread widely, [[chemotherapy]] offers a cure rate of at least 50%. ==Symptoms and early detection == Because testicular cancer is curable (stage I can have a success rate of >95%) when detected early, experts recommend regular monthly [[testicular self-examination]] after a hot [[shower]] or [[bath]], when the [[scrotum]] is looser. Men are advised to feel each testicle, feeling for pea-shaped lumps. Symptoms of testicular cancer include one or more of the following: * a lump in one testis or a hardening of one of the testicles * [[pain]] and tenderness in the testicles * build-up of fluid in the scrotum * a dull ache in the lower [[abdomen]] or [[groin]] * a change in the size of a testicle * blood in [[semen]] How bad the cancer is and whether it is present at all is often discovered through [[ultrasound]] of the testicles, [[x-ray]]s, and/or [[CT scan]]s. Blood tests are also used to identify and measure [[tumour marker]]s that are only in a person's blood if they have testicular cancer. [[biopsy|Biopsies]] should not be performed because it increases the risk of migrating cancer cells into the scrotum. {{tumours}} {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Cancer]]