Fortunately, testicular cancer has a very high cure rate especially when detected early and when it is appropriately treated with surgery, chemotherapy and, for certain types radiation therapy. Regular physical examinations, self-examinations of the testes and attentiveness to the warning signs of testicular cancer give you a good chance to catch it early enough to cure it. If your physician diagnoses testicular cancer, additional tests will determine whether the cancer has remained in the testes, or whether it has spread to any other parts of the body. Your doctor will explain relevant procedures in greater details. Unfortunately, medical science does not yet know what causes testicular cancer.
Testes normally descend from the abdomen into the scrotum at birth.
Men whose testes descended into the scrotum after the age of 6 and men whose testes did not descend run a higher risk of developing cancer of the testes. Parents should have their infant sons examined by their pediatricians to make sure the testicles have properly descended. Surgery can easily correct testicles that have not descended. In addition, men should routinely examine the testicles once a month for early warning signs of cancer. The earlier we catch the disease, the greater the likelihood of cure without spread to other regions of the body.