A few more days later I went back to the urologist for the pathology report. The pathology on my left testicle showed a Stage I Seminoma which had not spread outside the testicle itself to any surrounding structures. The blood tests which my urologist ordered to look for tumor markers in my blood were negative. The CT scans which were done the night after my surgery also showed no visible spread. My urologist referred me to an oncologist who referred me to the radiaton oncologist for treatment.
Radiation therapy damages the ability of all affected cells to regenerate themselves and reproduce.
The normal healthy cells are more able to recover from radiation damage than the cancerous cells. Radiation treatments are given daily except for weekends and holidays. The weekend breaks give the body some time to recover a little. The nausea and diarrhea can be treated with an anti-emetic prescription. Loss of sexual desire may result from the fatigue, but sexual function is not impaired.