Many men, reaching middle age, can boast that they have never visited a doctor in their entire lives. Among the fair sex, such cases are much fewer. This is because the genitals in women need constant attention, sexually transmitted diseases affect them much more often. After several years of such a hassle-free life, men still decide on a rectal examination, which is often compared with the end of youth. Moreover, a strong sex, as a rule, does not attach much importance to a visit to a specialist. However, it is such a late visit that often ends up in the fact that a man is diagnosed with quite serious ailments requiring competent treatment. One of these rather dangerous diseases is testicular cancer. Photos of this pathology can be found in specialized medical guides. In more detail about it we will tell in this article.
Disease Description
Testicular cancer is a relatively rare disease. The main causes of this pathology in adult men include cryptorchidism, disorders at the endocrine system, exposure to radiation, and mechanical damage to the scrotum.
In cancer statistics, signs of testicular cancer in men are diagnosed in no more than 2% of cases. It is important to note that the disease is aggressive. Among representatives of the stronger sex under 35 years of age, this ailment often causes early death.
In a third of cases, primary symptoms are diagnosed in young boys. In 90% of them, the reason lies in the malignancy of a benign tumor - teratoma. She, in turn, appears due to developmental disorders in the prenatal period.
Testicular cancer: causes
Today, the exact reasons for the development of this kind of pathology, as well as other oncological diseases, are unknown. However, experts agree on the main factor that provokes the development of the disease - cryptorchidism. This is a special condition in which the testicle does not fall into the scrotum during the period of fetal development of the fetus or in the first few months of the baby’s life. It simply remains in the so-called inguinal canal or even in the abdominal cavity itself. Most often, oncology is diagnosed in those patients in whom the testicle is localized directly in the abdominal cavity.
Who is at risk?
According to experts, even if the child underwent corrective surgery, testicular cancer in men already in adulthood can still be diagnosed. Among the main precursor factors that increase the risk of developing this pathology are the following:
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Infertility.
- Kleinfelter's syndrome (damage to the sex chromosomes at the genetic level).
- Underdevelopment of the genitals.
- The inclusion of scar tissue in the testes at an innate level.
- Constant mechanical stress.
Clinical signs
The main symptoms of testicular cancer in men are as follows:
- slight compaction in the affected area;
- accumulation of fluid in the scrotum;
- constant discomfort, pain;
- an increase in the usual size of the testicle.
At the very beginning of the disease, the symptoms of testicular cancer in men are almost completely absent. Then the patient discovers a small seal in one of them. The organ begins to rapidly increase in size, there is discomfort and even soreness. It is important to note that the malignant tumor itself rarely causes pain. It occurs only after the tumor completely seizes the spermatic cord.
At the next stage in the development of pathology, testicular deformation and an increase in their density are observed. Due to the constant accumulation of fluid, the damaged part of the scrotum begins to increase in size. If the testicle does not fall, the tumor can be easily felt directly in the inguinal canal. Otherwise, when it is localized in the abdominal zone, the neoplasm can grow to significant sizes. There are cases when it occupied about half of the entire cavity.
Further symptoms of testicular cancer in men are associated with the formation of metastases. First of all, shortness of breath, severe pain in the back and groin, discomfort in the leg, swelling. All these clinical signs are very easily explained.
For example, back pain is associated with constant compression of the nerve roots with retroperitoneal lymph nodes, which also increase in size. Swelling of the legs occurs due to overlapping metastases of the inferior vena cava. Symptoms of testicular cancer in men can even include manifestations of kidney failure. This is due to compression by the neoplasm of the ureters.
Some forms of this disease entail changes at the hormonal level. In adult patients, they manifest themselves in the form of impotence and decreased libido. Boys in adolescence can develop gynecomastia, hirsutism (excessive hair growth), mutation of the voice.
Classification
Testicular tumors can be of two types:
- Germinogenic (grow from the epithelium) - seminoma, teratoblastoma, chorionepithelioma.
- Non-germinogenic (develop from the main tissues) - leydigoma, sarcoma, sertolioma.
The germinogenic version of the tumor (seminoma) is most common. Seminoma is diagnosed in 50% of men with cancer. This tumor is formed in the form of a compacted nodule. As a rule, it grows quite slowly and is not accompanied by complications in the form of bleeding. Seminoma metastases predominantly affect the lungs, lymph nodes and bones.
Cancer stages
Currently, there are several stages of the disease. Thanks to this division, doctors have the opportunity to classify testicular cancer in men as accurately as possible, and after that - prescribe the appropriate treatment.
- First stage. The neoplasm is in the testis, does not go beyond it, there are no metastases.
- Second stage. Tumor metastases are localized in the retroperitoneal nodes.
- The third and fourth stages. Metastases penetrate into distant organs and lymph nodes.
Another international classification of the disease is known - TNM, according to which the main parameters of cancer are indicated by a certain letter (T is the characteristic of the tumor itself, N is the description of the state of the lymph nodes, M0 is the absence of metastases, M1 is the presence of distant metastases).
Diagnostics
For the successful treatment of this disease, it is very important to diagnose it in a timely manner. How to identify testicular cancer?
- Physical examination of the patient, including palpation of the scrotum itself.
- Laboratory studies (LDH, BHG, AFP). Based on the concentration level of the so-called tumor markers, the doctor evaluates the effectiveness of the current treatment, and also predicts the course of the disease.
- Examination of the scrotum through diaphanoscopy. This method involves the transmission of the affected area with a narrow beam of light. The doctor evaluates whether it is evenly visible. If the tissue of the scrotum practically does not transmit light, we can talk about the presence of a malignant neoplasm.
- X-ray of the lungs to detect the presence of metastases.
- Ultrasound examination of the scrotum, as well as the pelvic organs.
- CT scan of the chest and abdomen.
- Skeletal bone osteoscintigraphy.
The final diagnosis is based on a biopsy of the tissue of the testicle itself. An analysis of the biopsy specimen under a microscope allows you to accurately determine the specific type of tumor, as well as to predict the rate of spread of the pathology.
How to independently recognize the disease?
First of all, it is recommended to see what testicular cancer in men looks like. Photos of affected organs are available in specialized directories. Thus, if there are any deviations, the patient should immediately seek medical advice.
It is important to note that healthy testicles should be approximately the same in size, but one always hangs below the other. Otherwise, the man could not put his legs together.
Doctors advise to examine themselves monthly, and in a warm room. The thing is that in the cold, the scrotum shrinks quite strongly. An ideal option is inspection while taking a shower. The testicles should feel like hard-boiled chicken eggs, and should be about 4 cm in diameter. Bodies should not be ill. Any discomfort during examination can be interpreted as a deviation from the norm.
What does testicular cancer look like? Feeling the upper back of the organ, you can easily find its appendage - a thin cord. Any mass attached to it can be regarded as a neoplasm (most often benign). In any case, if any abnormality is found, consult a doctor immediately. He will prescribe an additional diagnostic examination, and then, if necessary, therapy.
Treatment
In this disease, it is complex and involves the removal of a tumor focus, therapeutic resection of the lymph nodes, as well as systemic chemotherapeutic effects on all atypical cells.
Surgical treatment is the complete removal of the affected area along with the appendage. If metastases are found in the peritoneal space during surgery, retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy is performed.
After surgery, the patient is sent for chemotherapy. It implies the introduction of intravenous injections and the use of special drugs ("Iophosphamide", "Cisplatin", "Vinblastine"), which affects the whole body. Taking into account the fact that cancer cells have a high metabolic rate, they themselves are destroyed first of all.
In some cases, radiation exposure is additionally recommended. With a large tumor, this treatment method is used at the preoperative stage.
Forecast
The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the more effective the therapy will be and the probability of a positive outcome of the disease will significantly increase. According to experts, timely treatment allows the patient to live five years or more (in 90% of cases). With the appearance of metastases, survival is reduced to 72%.