How to Choose a Treatment for Testicular Cancer

Once you have received a diagnosis of testicular cancer, your first thoughts may be focused on how to treat this disease. Fortunately, today there are several ways to treat cancer of the testes, or testicles. Work with your doctor to determine which treatment is ideal for your cancer and your situation.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Assess your risk factors for testicular cancer. Many men affected by testicular cancer are within the 20 to 34 age range and have a family history of this disease.

2. Realize that you may have to adjust your lifestyle for a brief period. Many treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy will require your absence from work or school.

3. Discuss the stage of your cancer with your doctor. Depending on how advanced your cancer is, your treatment options will vary.

4. Know that surgical removal of 1 or both of the testicles may be required. This treatment is typically used in stage I seminoma cancers, as well as some stage II and stage III cancers.

5. Expect to discuss the option of chemotherapy or radiation therapy with your doctor if you are diagnosed with any form of testicular cancer. Depending on whether cancer cells are present in the lymph nodes or not, further treatment may be necessary.

6. Choose your treatment in consultation with your physician, discussing each of the options available fully. If removal of the testicles is required, you may wish to bank sperm in advance of surgery.

Tips & Warnings

• All patients have the right to choose their own health care provider. You should be given a sufficient number of choices to allow you to choose the highest quality health care possible.
• Ask your doctor about pain management while you undergo treatment for testicular cancer. There are drug therapies on the market today which may help reduce or eliminate much of the pain associated with this cancer and its treatment.
• Upon completion of your treatment, you will need to participate in ongoing follow-up check-ups to detect a recurrence of cancer. These may include blood screenings, X-rays and CT scans.
• In addition to pain, the treatment of testicular cancer may induce feelings of anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. It is important that you seek appropriate medical help for these symptoms. Talk to your doctor about medicines or other therapies such as support groups and one-on-one mental health care to address these concerns.

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