Testicular Cancer Treatment
All people assigned male at birth have testicles- walnut-shaped glands that produce testosterone hormone and sperm. These glands are present in a skin sac called the scrotum which is situated below the penis.
Testicular cancer is one of the male reproductive health issues wherein germ cells of one or both testicles abnormally or uncontrollably divide and multiply. It is a serious medical condition but it is highly treatable and curable.
Arete Hospitals is one of the leading hospitals for Testicular Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Hyderabad. With the help of a top-notch testicular cancer team and the use of cutting-edge technologies, we provide our patients with customised treatment plans that could cure testicular cancer and maximise our patient’s life quality for the long term. Our skilled Best Testicular Cancer Specialists / Doctors in Hyderabad can help diagnose and treat testicular cancers of different stages (0 to 3) quickly and affordably. In addition to expedited treatment under our roof, our patients can even expect multidisciplinary team-based personalised care, exceptional fertility programs, clinical trials for testicular cancer, new treatment approaches, convenience, and expertise in the treatment of challenging testicular cancers.
Benefits of Testicular Cancer Treatment
- The primary benefit of initial treatment is that it offer a complete cure, allowing individuals to lead healthy lives
- Modern treatment options, like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, have made testicular cancer highly treatable. Treatment can improve survival rates, even in cases where the cancer has spread
- Many treatments help preserve fertility in men, especially if only one testicle is affected. This is helpful for couples who wish to have children in future
- Successfully treating testicular cancer can relieve symptoms such as pain, discomfort, and psychological despair caused by cancer. This leads to an improved quality of life for patients
- Timely treatment helps reduce the risk of complications associated with advanced testicular cancer, like metastasis to other organs, which can be life-threatening.
Types of Testicular Cancers Treated at Arete Hospitals
Testicular cancer arises from the testicular germ cells that aggregate to form an abnormal mass or tumour. It is of two types:
- Seminoma- This is a slow-growing testicular cancer that primarily affects people in their 40s-50s.
- Non-seminoma- This is a comparatively rapid-growing testicular cancer, mainly affecting people aged in their late teens, 20s, and early 30s. Further, non-seminoma testicular cancer is of four types, named after the germ cells that become tumours. They are yolk sac carcinoma, embryonal carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, and teratoma.
Diagnostic Services for Testicular Cancer
The common diagnostic procedures and tests ordered for testicular cancer suspected patients include:
- Physical examination and review of the medical history and symptoms of the patient
- Ultrasound imaging- It is done to create images of the inside of the testicle, if any abnormality is found during a physical exam.
- Inguinal orchiectomy and biopsy- If ultrasound imaging reveals evidence of cancer, the affected testicle is removed and its tissue is examined for cancer cells.
- A serum tumour marker test- It is a blood test done to measure amounts of testicular tumour markers in the blood. For seminomas, HCG levels are high while for non-seminomas, alpha-fetoprotein levels are high. The cancer spread is indicated by a rise in LDH levels.
- Imaging tests like CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays- CT scan checks for cancer spread to abdominal organs near the testicle. Chest X-ray checks for cancer spread to the lungs. MRI checks for cancer spread to the brain or spinal cord.
Good Candidates For Testicular Cancer Treatment
Men who experience any of the below-mentioned issues with their testicles and scrotum are the ideal candidates for testicular cancer treatment at Arete Hospitals, Best Testicular Cancer Treatment Hospitals in Hyderabad.
- Painless lump or swelling in either of the testicle
- Dull pain in the lower abdomen or groyne
- Heaviness in the scrotum
- Inflammation or sudden fluid retention in the scrotum
- Pain or discomfort in the testicle or scrotum
- Testicular atrophy- a shrinking testicle.
Besides them, men can even experience other symptoms of testicular cancer. If they delay consulting a urinary tract specialist and diagnosis, the cancer can spread to other body parts and thus treatment would be more challenging.
Treatment Options For Testicular Cancer
The treatment of testicular cancer depends upon several factors including tumour type, stage of cancer, patient’s health status, and treatment preferences. Before going ahead with any treatment, both the patient and the Best Testicular Cancer Treatment Doctors in Hyderabad weigh the benefits and risks associated with the treatment. At Arete Hospitals, the team of best urinary tract specialist, uro-oncologist, and Best Doctors For Testicular Cancer in Hyderabad may recommend either of the following treatments:
Surgery
This is the most common approach to treat testicular cancer of any stage or tumour type. It is ideally recommended to remove seminomas or non-seminoma tumours that have spread to the liver or lungs. For some patients, the Testicular Cancer Doctors in Hyderabad may even remove the lymph nodes. The two surgical procedures are:
- Radical inguinal orchiectomy- In this operation, the surgeon removes the patient’s affected testicle. Firstly, the surgeon makes an incision in the groyne and then through it takes out the testicle tumour. Next, the surgeon closes blood vessels and lymphatic tissues to prevent cancer spread from the site of the tumour to the other body parts. It is an effective treatment to remove testicular tumours and to obtain a diagnosis. However, it is associated with risks like bleeding, infection, swelling in the scrotum, drop in testosterone levels, and infertility with the removal of both testicles
- Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND)- This surgery is mainly recommended to stage out non-seminoma testicular cancers and treat them. During the operation, the Urologists or Uro-oncologists in Hyderabad cut the abdomen and take out the lymph nodes lying behind the organs of the abdomen. The surgery helps determine whether testicular cancer is present to plan out the treatment or lower the chance of occurrence or recurrence of cancer. Risks associated with this surgery include retrograde ejaculation, inability to pass gas, constipation, bulge at the site of incision or nearby, bowel obstruction or infection for short-term, and sensitivity or pain in the lower abdomen.
Radiation Therapy
In this therapy, high-dose X-rays are focused on the cancer-affected portion of the testicle to kill the cancer cells, usually those that have spread to lymph nodes. This therapy might be performed right after surgery to avoid returning of the testicular tumour. Usually, it is recommended for the treatment of seminomas.
Chemotherapy
This treatment involves the use of chemo-drugs to kill testicular cancer cells. It can help improve the survival rate of patients suffering from both seminomas and nonseminomas. A urologist may recommend chemotherapy before RPLND surgery or after a radical inguinal orchiectomy to prevent the recurrence of testicular cancer. Chemotherapy may even be performed to treat recurrent testicular cancer following remission. However, this therapy can lead to side effects like hair loss, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, mouth sores, fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding, and an increased risk of having infections.
Consult now Arete Hospitals, Best Testicular Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad for more details.
1. How can I self-examine myself for testicular cancer?
Self-examination for testicular cancer is a 2 minute procedure that is recommended by many urologists, to be done monthly. To self-examine testicles for cancer, you need to take a warm shower or bath to relax the scrotum skin and make it easier to feel anything unusual. Roll each testicle using the thumbs and fingers of both hands. Do it by placing the middle and index fingers underneath the testicle and thumbs on the top. Familiarise yourself with what’s normal and what isn’t. Don’t confuse epididymis- a cord-like structure on top and in the back, with a testicular lump. Feel for a lump on a testicle. Lumps are painless and can be pea-size or larger.
Schedule a consultation with a urologist at Best Nephrology Hospital in Hyderabad, if noticing a change in testicle size or/and feeling a lump to further diagnose testicular cancer.
2. Am I at risk of having testicular cancer?
You are more likely to develop testicular cancer, in the following cases being aged between 15 and 35, being Non-Hispanic whites, having undescended testicles, having a personal or family history of testicular cancer or klinefelter syndrome, and being infertile.
3. Who treats testicular cancer?
Testicular cancer is treated by a urologist, a medical oncologist, or a radiation oncologist.
4. Can one survive testicular cancer?
The survival of the patient depends upon many factors and so no one can tell exactly how long the patient can live. The factors include the patient’s unique condition, type of cancer, level of fitness, and treatment received.
5. Is testicular cancer curable?
Yes. In 95% of cases, testicular cancer can be successfully treated, and if it's treated early the cure rate increases to 98%. As per one research study, about 75% of testicular cancer patients with clinical stage 1 non-seminoma can cure their condition after the removal of their affected testicles. But, the remaining 25% of patients will possess small areas of metastatic cancer that go undiagnosed with CT scans and may grow eventually unless additional treatments are provided.
For more details on Testicular Cancer Cost in Hyderabad contact the experts at Arete Hospitals.
