Symptoms of Testicular Cancer
Main Page | Risk Factors | Reducing Your Risk | Screening | Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment Overview | Chemotherapy | Radiation Therapy | Surgical Procedures | Lifestyle Changes | Managing Side Effects | Living With Testicular Cancer | Talking to Your Doctor | Resource Guide
If you experience any of these symptoms do not assume it is due to cancer. Most of these symptoms may be caused by other, less serious health conditions. If you experience any one of them, see your physician.
Symptoms of testicular cancer include the following:
- A painless lump or swelling in either testicle—this is the single most important symptom of testicular cancer. If you detect this, see your doctor immediately.
- Enlargement or swelling of a testicle, or a change in the way it feels.
- Feeling of heaviness in the scrotum.
- A dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin.
- Fluid in the scrotum that appears suddenly.
- Pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum.
- Lower back pain, sometimes severe (in later stages, when the cancer has spread into the lymph nodes in the back).
- Shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing up blood (in advanced stages, when the cancer has spread into the lungs).
- Enlarged breasts (due to alterations in sex hormone production).
The best way to discover testicular cancer is by finding it yourself when it is small. You can do this with regular testicular self-exams. As with all cancers, the best results come from early treatment.
For more information on how to do a testicular self-exam, click here .
Sources:
Holland JF, Frei III E. Neoplasms of the genitourinary tract. In:
Cancer Medicine
. American Cancer Society.
Available at:
http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancer_information/
.
Accessed November 30, 2002.
Motzer RJ, Bosl GJ. Testicular cancer. In: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine , 14th ed. McGraw-Hill; 1998.
Testicular Cancer Home Page. National Cancer Institute.
Available at:
http://www.nci.nih.gov/cancer_information/
.
Accessed November 30, 2002.
Last reviewed February 2003 by Donald Lawrence, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2007 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.