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Testicular Cancer Research Paper

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Testicular Cancer Testicular cancer is a cancer that only occurs on men. This cancer forms in the testicles, or testes, of a male. The testicles are positioned inside of the scrotum which is next to the penis and looks like a bag of skin. The purpose of the testicles is to produce sperm and they contain sex hormones. “Reproductive bodies called germ cells develop into sperm through a process of cellular division called meiosis (4).” Normally cell division is regulated but in testicular cancer the germ cells begin to divide uncontrollably and, instead of producing functional sperm, the germ cells create copies of themselves making them cancerous cells. “This kind of out-of-control division may happen to any type of cell in the testicle. …show more content…

Listening to the signs and acting upon them will increase a male's chances to address the cancer in its early stages. One of these symptoms is, a lump or enlargement in either testicle (2). This can be discovered by touching the testicle and feeling the lump. Usually this cancer occurs only on one testicle therefore, the lump would be on one side. The lump that is felt is the tumor that the cancer cells have created. Another symptom can be “a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum” and “a dull ache in the abdomen or groin (2).” The ache in the abdomen or groin in caused by the cancer cells which distribute to the lymph glands near the stomach. Another symptom can be fluid in the scrotum, pain or discomfort, breast enlargement along with tenderness and back pain (2). It is critical that a male sees a doctor as soon as they feel any swelling in the testicles and, or feel any lumps. The doctor will run a series of test to find out if what the male is experiencing is in fact testicular cancer. Depending on the findings and what type of cancer is detected, that’s when the doctor will let the patient know and begin …show more content…

There are numerous ways to treat it since there are different types of testicular cancers and different stages. One treatment can be surgery. There are two different surgical procedures, one is to remove the testicle and the other to remove a lymph node (2). Removing the testicle is the most common treatment because it can be done on merely all types of testicular cancer and in different stages. The procedure to remove the testicle is done by having the “surgeon makes an incision in your groin and extracts the entire testicle through the opening (2).” The patient also has the option to have a prosthetic testicle implanted to replace the one the surgeon took out. However, having only one testicle does not impair the patients’ sexual potency or fertility. There is a brief decrease of sperm production but that is only temporary (5). The surgery in which the lymph node is removed is done by making an incision on the abdomen. This surgery is more dangerous due to all the nerves surrounding the lymph nodes. If the surgeon accidentally damages a can be difficult for the patient to have an ejaculation, but they can still have an erection (2). After the surgery the patient will most likely need to schedule for another appointment to check on the progress. These follow-up appointments consist of blood tests, CT scans and periodic x-rays in order to check that the

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