Diagnosing testicular cancer is in many ways far more advanced than for other cancers. We can be thankful that there are a number of tests that can be carried out to find out if you have testicular tumors. In this article, I'll describe each one to you.
Testicular Examination
The first thing is the examination of the testis with the fingers. This can be done by you and your doctor to feel for lumps or anything unusual.
The downside of this method is that it can be difficult to figure out what is going on inside. This is why most doctors, if they feel anything unusual or if you insist that there is definitely something unusual going on, will refer you for an ultrasound.
Ultrasound
This is considered the standard for detection of testicular tumors.
The sonographer places some gel onto your scrotum and moves the transducer over it to get a picture of what is going on inside.
Any masses found in the testicle are usually (95% of the time) tumors i.e. cancer.
Blood Tests
Testicular cancer is unique in that there are a number of tumor markers that show up in blood that can confirm testicular cancer.
These are known as beta-HCG (human chroionic gonadotropin), AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase). Elevated levels of these markers can confirm cancer.
However, if these markers are normal then you could still have cancer.
CT Scan
This is normally only done after your doctor thinks you definitely have cancer or has confirmed it.
A CT scan gives a 3-dimensional image of the body. This scan is used on the abdomen and sometime the lungs to check to see if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
Worried or concerned about testicular cancer? Get the concise facts on this highly treatable disease here: Testicular Cancer Library.
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