Testicular Cancer�forms in a man's testicles, the two egg-shaped glands that produce sperm and testosterone. Testicular cancer mainly affects young men between the ages of 20 and 39. It is also more common in men who
���� Have had abnormal testicle development
���� Have had an un-descended testicle
���� Have a family history of the cancer

Causes

Sons of women who smoked during pregnancy may face increased odds of developing testicular cancer.

The parallel between increasing trends in testicular cancer and female lung and bladder cancer, as well as evidence that testicular cancer may begin in the womb, have led to the theory that maternal smoking during pregnancy may be responsible for the testicular cancer epidemic.

Testicular cancer�is more common in men who have a testicle that has failed to descend. In the unborn child the testicles develop inside the abdomen between the kidneys and descend into the scrotum at birth or during the first year of life. If this does not happen, the risk of a man developing testicular cancer is increased.
Men with a brother or father who has had testicular cancer are slightly more at risk of developing it (although the risk is still small). Research has shown that a particular gene is the cause of testicular cancer in some men. It is possible that this gene is inherited and may be the reason why testicular cancer sometimes occurs in brothers or sons of men who have had the disease.

Symptoms

The usual symptoms of TC are one or more of the following:
������� A lump develops in one of the testicles
������� One of the testicles becomes heavier or harder
������� Sometimes, the testicle just feels increasingly uncomfortable.

The most common symptom is swelling in part of one testicle. This is usually painless, but some men may notice an ache in their lower abdomen or in the affected testicle. There may be a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum. In a few men the testicle suddenly becomes swollen and very tender.
When a normal testicle is examined, it is round, soft and smooth. The�epididymis�can be felt behind it as a separate structure. Cysts and benign swellings in the epididymis are quite common and are usually harmless. Lumps in the body of the testes itself may be benign but can be a cancer. It is sensible to have any swelling examined by a doctor.

Diagnosis

First, the doctor will perform a physical exam in which he or she feels the testicles for any abnormalities. Next the doctor will examine the abdomen, looking for affected and enlarged lymph nodes. Other important tests that a doctor will order are blood tests looking for certain "markers" in the blood called�beta-hCG, alpha-fetoprotein, and lactate dehydrogenase. In some cases, though, testicular cancer can occur without raising blood marker levels. The doctor may order an ultrasound (a painless procedure that uses sound waves to create images of internal organs) to evaluate any lumps or irregularities. If a tumor is found, biopsy is rarely done. The proper procedure is removal of the testicle to confirm that cancer is present and determine the exact type.

The doctor may order various other imagining tests -- such as x-ray, CT (computed tomography) scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and PET (positron emission tomography) scan -- in order to diagnose testicular cancer.

Treatment

Treatment for testicular cancer is usually very successful and most men can now be completely cured, even if the cancer has spread beyond the testicles. The treatment will depend on the type of cancer (whether it is a�teratoma�or a�seminoma) and whether it has spread beyond the testes.

• Radiotherapy
  
• Chemotherapy
  
• Pancreatic Cancer�
  
• Spinal Cord Tumors�� etc

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