Testicular Cancer Surgery
Testicular cancer though not a widespread form of cancer is a formidable disease for men. It is more common among Caucasians as compared to people of Asian descent, and it is even rarer among people of African origin. However, among the many different types of human cancers, fortunately it is the most curable type. The treatment is carried out by means of testicular cancer surgery followed by other anti-cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This article briefly presents the various aspects of testicular cancer surgery in layman’s terms for easy understanding.
Testicular Cancer Surgery -Causes and Symptoms
Like other forms of cancer, the actual mechanism of the development of this disease through uncontrolled cell growth is not yet clearly known. However, it is established that in a majority of the cases, mainly environmental factors contribute to the inception of the disease followed by genetic factor in a smaller number of cases. The environmental factors include exposure to chemicals, radiation, infections, lifestyle, obesity, lack of exercise etc.
The symptoms of the disease include the formation of a lump or tumour in a testis, enlargement in size of a testicle, pain in the abdomen etc. The disease can affect teenage boys as well as men of all ages.
Testicular Cancer Surgery-Diagnosis
The disease can normally be diagnosed through clinical examination by the general physician and some clinical-pathological tests such as blood, ultrasound, biopsy etc. Diagnosis of testicular cancer must be confirmed by a histologist/pathologist and oncologist before surgery is advised. In Britain, about 2000 men are annually diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Testicular cancer, like the other kinds of cancers is also of two types, primary and secondary. Primary cancer originates in the testes while the secondary cancer originates elsewhere and then spreads to the testes among other organs of the body.
Testicular Cancer Surgery-Surgery
Testicular cancer surgery or radical orchiectomy, as it is medically called, is the most effective treatment for the disease. It is carried out by a urologist and consists of the removal of the whole of the affected testis rather than just the lump or cyst. This is recommended because some malignant cells can remain in the diseased testis, which can multiply leading to a recurrence of cancer. However, a redeeming feature of testicular cancer surgery is that usually only one testis becomes cancerous and after its removal the sexual function of the patient remains normal as one testis is adequate to take care of the function of the other.
The hospital stay for the surgical treatment is 1-2 days and the cost of testicular cancer surgery including diagnostic tests, medicines, and chemotherapy can vary greatly. However, an indicative aggregate cost of private surgical treatment (outside the NHS) including follow-up treatment can be expected to be around £20,000-40,000.
Testicular cancer surgery is usually done in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, as required by the circumstances of the case. Therefore, regular and prolonged post-operative check-ups and treatment of the patient are required. However, complete recovery in 90% of primary cancer cases and 85% of secondary cases can be achieved with proper treatment.