what treatment will I have?
Before you have treatment, the doctors need to find out if the cancer has spread outside the testicle to any other parts of your body. This is called the stage of the cancer.
Waiting to hear about the stage of the cancer can be worrying. But this information is important because it helps your doctors plan the right treatment. Treatment for testicular cancer is usually really successful. Most guys with testicular cancer are cured, even if the cancer has spread.
The two main types of treatment for testicular cancer are surgery and chemotherapy. It’s not unusual to need both treatments. Some guys might have a special type of monitoring or checking (called surveillance) instead of chemo. Here’s more information about these types of treatment:
Surgery - the testicle is removed with an operation (called an orchidectomy). Occasionally some guys might also need an op to remove the lymph nodes (glands) at the back of the tummy.
Chemotherapy - this uses anti-cancer drugs to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back (adjuvant chemotherapy), or to get rid of any cancer that has spread outside the testicle to other parts of your body.
Surveillance (monitoring) - if after surgery the chance of the cancer coming back is very low your doctor might suggest this approach. It means having regular checks to look for signs of the cancer coming back. If it does come back and it’s picked up very early, then it’s easy to cure. If the cancer doesn’t come back then you’ve avoided having unnecessary chemo. At each clinic appointment, your doctor will examine you and you’ll have blood tests and sometimes other tests, such as chest x-rays.
Going to all your surveillance appointments is really important - so don’t forget. You could put a reminder in your mobile.
after treatment
When you’ve finished all your treatment, you’ll go back for regular appointments at the hospital (follow-up). You’ll carry on being carefully checked, by having blood tests for tumour markers and sometimes other tests. If the tumour markers go up, this can be a sign that the cancer has come back. This means you’ll need more treatment, which can still usually cure the cancer. There’s more information about tumour markers in our section diagnosis.
If you have any questions about your treatment, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or nurse.
