Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Testicular Cancer - The Symptoms of Cancer of the Testicals

It is common with testicular cancer to show no symptoms at all; however, in some men quite obvious symptoms may appear. These symptoms may include: a lump within the testicle, a swelling in the scrotum, a pain in the testicles, the sensation of discomfort in the area of the abdomen or the pelvis. Sometimes a general sensation of malaise (bodily discomfort, fatigue, or unpleasantness) may also be experienced, but this usually depends on the type and stage of the cancer, and the general health of the sufferer.
When symptoms do appear, a doctor usually refers the patient to a urology specialist (a urologist). It is his job to diagnose, stage, and treat the patient for the symptoms that are being experienced. This is usually first with a physical examination of the testicles, followed by blood tests, ultrasound imaging and computerized tomography (CT) scans, all which tend to give the patient little or no discomfort. However, many symptoms men experience with their testicles are not usually testicular cancer symptoms at all, but those of a problem with the prostate.
These symptoms may include: urinary retention (the lack of ability to urinate), microscopic hematuria (excess traces of microscopic blood in the urine), and gross hematuria (blood in the urine that can be seen by the naked eye). These common symptoms may well lead to some form of surgery for the sufferer in the future. The indicated surgeries are usually for: prostate cancer, bladder cancer, or kidney surgery (usually for renal cell carcinoma). Surgery is also the favored method for the urologist to remove cancerous testicles.
Testicular cancer symptoms can often be discovered by regular monthly self-checks, and not only by the feeling of discomfort or pain that may be experienced. When self-checking for testicle cancer, it is best advised to do it while either taking a hot bath, or while under a hot shower. The hot water tends to soften the scrotum making it easier for the fingers to manipulate the contours of the testicles which in turn may allow any abnormalities that may be present to be easily located.
Although these testicle cancer self-checks do not diagnose testicular cancer on their own, what they do is give a good indication that a quick trip to the doctors may be needed. With the opportunity of an earlier check-up that may of otherwise not been taken, a potential testicular cancer sufferer may have a better chance of catching the cancer at an earlier stage, rather than at a later stage when it may be too late to save the testicle.
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