Before you have treatment, the doctors need to find out whether the cancer has spread to any other parts of your body (the stage of the cancer) and how fast growing the cancer is (the grade of the cancer).
Waiting to hear about the stage and grade of the cancer can be pretty worrying, but this information is important, as it helps your doctors plan the right treatment.
Treatment for testicular cancer is usually really successful and most blokes are completely cured. This is true even if the cancer has spread beyond the testicles.
There are two main types of treatment, surgery and chemotherapy. Most blokes need a combination of both treatments, but the exact treatment plan will depend on the stage of the cancer.
- Surgery - Involves removing the tumour during an operation.
- Chemotherapy - Uses anti-cancer drugs.
Once you have finished treatment you will be followed up closely and this will involve blood tests to check on the tumour markers. If the markers become raised, it may be that the cancer has come back. If there has been a recurrence of the cancer, more treatment can be given to try to get rid of it. There is more information about these tumour markers in the information about diagnosis.
If you have any questions about your treatment, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or nurse. They'll be happy to help you understand what's involved.
