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Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer
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Discovery (6) Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer Delays in seeing a specialist Investigations for testicular cancer Your ideas about causes of testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is now highly curable, especially if diagnosed in good time. Some men we interviewed looked for lumps, having been encouraged to examine themselves by their mothers. Typically the man or his partner finds a painless lump in the testicle. Lumps, swellings and asymmetry are not always due to cancer, but it is sensible to have any lump or swelling examined by a doctor. Here men we interviewed describe how they found a lump while taking a bath or a shower. (For more on selfexamination see 'Message to others'.)
Finding information about testicular cancer
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Waiting for results
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Explains that he found a lump while having a bath.
Reaction to diagnosis (3) How testicular cancer affects you How it affects family relationships How it affects others Treatments & side effects (11)
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Orchidectomy (testicle removal) Further surgery for testicular cancer Chemotherapy for testicular cancer Radiotherapy for testicular cancer Hormone treatment for testicular cancer
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Complementary approaches for testicular cancer Talking to doctors about testicular cancer
Enlargement or swelling of one testicle is also common. The testicle may feel abnormally firm or hard when touched, or the texture may feel different.
Side effects of chemotherapy for testicular cancer
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Side effects of surgery (orchidectomy)
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Explains that he noticed that one of his testicles was bigger than the other.
Side effects of radiotherapy Side effects of hormone treatment Surveillance (2)
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Explains that his wife insisted that he consult the GP, after seeing a TV programme, because his testicle was hard.
Surveillance after teratoma Surveillance after seminoma Sex and fertility (4) Sex after testicular cancer Fertility after testicular cancer False testicles Masculinity and self-image after testicular cancer
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Living with it (6) Follow-up for testicular cancer Support and counselling after testicular cancer Attitude to life after testicular cancer Work and testicular cancer Financial concerns when you have testicular cancer Messages to others about testicular cancer
Sometimes symptoms are not so specific. One man we spoke to said that his testicle just didn't 'feel right', after an incident when his baby kicked him. Another recalled that the first symptom he noticed was general fatigue. It was only much later, after he had consulted his GP on two occasions that he noticed that one of his testicles was swollen. Another man noticed that he had a slight irritation when ejaculating. This was the only symptom he had. Some men discovered lumps or other irregularities after they or their wives had read articles in the paper, or heard about testicular cancer on the radio or television. Sometimes men experience discomfort or pain in the testicle before a lump is discovered.
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Explains that his first symptom was severe pain in the left testicle.
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Less commonly, men with metastases, when the cancer has spread to the para-aortic lymph nodes, experience back pain before they find anything wrong with a testicle.
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Explains that he first experienced severe pain in his back.
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Occasionally, men with pulmonary metastases (when the cancer has spread to the lung) first discover they have testicular cancer because they are breathless or because they are coughing up blood. Rarely, men may discover they have a problem because the cancer has spread to another part of the body and first appears as a lump under the skin.
Displayed below view profile Explains that he first found a lump above his collar bone.
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Explains that the cancer was first discovered as a lump in his leg.
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Okay I was 21 and approaching having finals at university. And I was sat in the library a lot, doing a lot of work, and one evening I was kind of reading away and I started rubbing my throat. And I noticed just above my collar bone that a lump had appeared. And it was about the size of an egg and it had just kind of appeared within what must've been like a few minutes pretty much. And I thought not much of it at the time really because it was kind of soft and smooth and wasn't painful to play with. And it didn't really occur to me that it was anything untoward for absolutely ages, I thought it was like a muscle spasm that had just kind of happened and would kind of vanish away gradually. And then about after a week I made a doctor's appointment because it still wasn't going anywhere, and I missed that because it still didn't seem too much of a problem. And then probably a week after that I made another doctor's appointment and went in, spoke to the GP. And she really didn't know what it was, she was kind of surprised.
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Age at interview: 24 Sex: Male Age at diagnosis: 22 Background: University student; single, no children.
Very occasionally, men may experience tender nipples, the development of breasts or excessive sweating, symptoms that are caused by a hormone that is produced by some testicular tumours.
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Explains that his first symptoms were sore nipples and back pain.
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Last reviewed December 2017. Last updated December 2017.
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