Physical Examination:

The doctor will perform a physical exam of patient’s testicles in which a light is passed through the testicular lumps. The cancerous lumps are solid that’s why light can’t pass from the abnormal areas. If the cancer suspects by the doctor then he suggest some more tests.

Tests Used in Testicular Cancer’s Diagnosis

Here are some tests  that are employed by the doctors in the diagnosis of Testicular cancer:

Blood test:

These tests are helpful in diagnosis. In these tests the doctors check the level of certain hormones in the blood that are produced normally in case of testicular tumor. These hormones are known as makers. The makers includes in the blood are AFP (alpha feta protein), LDH (lactate dehydrogenate) and HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin). The high level of makers in the blood is the strong indication of Testicular cancer.

Scrotal Ultrasound:

It is a painless test performed by a radiologist who get the picture of testicular with the mean of high frequency sound waves. He also determines the extent, size and sometimes the cause of testicular cancer. In this test he also comes to know whether the tumor is cancerous or non-cancerous. It is used to get the confirmation of solid mass in the testicles.

Chest X-ray:

This test is administered to check the potential metastasis to the lungs or in another words doctor check whether cancerous cells spread to the lungs or not.

Biopsy:

It is a most affective way to confirm the testicular cancer’s presence. In this a pathalogits removes a small sample of affected testicular and then examined.

Other tests includes :

Computed Tomography CT Scan

Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI

Now I’ll highlight the risk factor and causes of Testicular cancer.

A men who has an undescended testicle from his birth may be up to 32 times more likely to develop testicular cancer later, incase this condition is not corrected till age of 11.

Inheritance is also a risk factor or cause for this disease. When a person’s brother, father or older siblings had this problem then the chances of its appearance in that person are higher in comparison of an ordinary person.Another cause of Testicular cancer is the Orchitis , a rare complication of mumps due to  which  painful and irritating swelling of testicles resulted.

Men who have by birth abnormalities and complications of the penis, kidneys or testicles have a higher risk. The fertility problem may become the cause of testicular cancer. A man who belongs to a wealthier social group may indulge in bad practices that lead him toward this cancer emergence. The inguinal hernia may affect the testicular cancer and result come in the form of cancer.

The race factor also countable in this regard. It is shown in the studies that the men who belong to white rate have higher risk than that of men of African or Asian descent and this cancer problem is more common in the men of Scandinavia, Germany and New Zealand.

Sometimes, the abnormal development of Testicular grows to be the cause of this dilemma. For example in Klinefelter’s syndrome in which the testicles not develop properly May give birth to testicular cancerous cell.

One thing that you must consider is that a vasectomy or injury to the testicles may not increase the risk of testicular cancer.

Typically the first symptom of testicular cancer is a pea-sized growth on the testicle; it is usually painless although it can cause some pain in the area. Men are advised to check their testicles on a regular basis so that it is caught as early as possible, once a month is the minimum amount of checking that is advised although that is obviously up to personal preference. If swelling is found on the testicle it is vitally important to see a doctor to have it checked as if it is cancer it can spread and it can kill.

The doctor usually examines the testicles to check if it is cancer and if the doctor suspects that it is an ultrasound of the entire scrotum and testes will be carried out to see the lump and determine whether it maybe something else.  However the only way to find out for certain whether the swelling is cancerous or not is for the doctor to examine it during an operation. The surgeon can see whether it is cancerous or not and remove part of it for analysis.

If the swelling is found to be cancer then the testicle will be removed fortunately men have two testicles and the patient can usually go home the next day. However it is important to have a regular check up with your doctor in case the cancer returns as it may have spread to other parts of the body before the operation.