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April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month. Testicular cancer is not a common cancer disease in men, but it generally affects young men. In Lithuania, the survival rate after this disease is up to 88%, but this figure is much lower than in Western countries, where even after treatment, up to 98% are still living successfully. mens.
The National Cancer Institute held a press conference Tuesday to identify key information that every man should know.
He could no longer bear the abdominal pain.
The conference was also attended by Marius, 42, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer last September, and today he can rejoice in the success of the treatment.
“Everything is in order, he did the operation after chemotherapy, he was operated on. Now I am cured. The beginning was very, very difficult, you don’t have to be afraid and have support ”, he says.
Marius did not hide his diagnosis from those around him from the beginning. The man jokes that this is how the flu happens. It is true that the treatment is much more complicated. The man himself says that a course and a half of chemotherapy held up well, but was already more difficult to bear. After chemotherapy, a few hundred kilometers they were driven home with bitten teeth, because they simply did not want to ask others for help.
The man says he had several symptoms that he could no longer ignore:
“At first I had a very low temperature of 35-35.2 degrees, my stomach was very swollen, my sides hurt, but I didn’t really think about it. When I started having severe pains and cramps, I went to the hospital at 5 in the morning, but there was no one to see with the ultrasound ”.
Marius advises the other men, in case of pain, to go and see that it is not too late.
Testicular cancer can spread
Each year more than 8,400 cases of this cancer are diagnosed worldwide. Basically, it is a fairly rare cancer that accounts for about 1 percent. all oncological diseases in men, but this does not mean that the disease should be selected by hand.
Head of the Oncourology Department of the National Cancer Institute dr. Albert Ulys says that testicular cancer is very polymorphic, that is, it grows in the testicle itself and grows to the size of an ostrich egg, but does not spread anywhere. However, there are cases when a small malignancy in the testicle has begun to spread to the lymph nodes. This was also the case for Marius.
„<...> Cancer that spread to the lymph nodes caused intestinal swelling and then excruciating pain as the lymph nodes grew to 11 cm. These are huge lymph nodes that press on the blood vessels and ureters, causing tremendous pain. Often in such cases, it is believed to be a stone disease and only then does it turn out to be testicular cancer.
I would say that this is not a typical case, but it does happen. It is important to know that abdominal pain can be caused by testicular cancer because it is the primary metastatic area of testicular cancer which is the abdominal lymph nodes. <...> Marius’s situation was not enviable because, as I mentioned, his lymph nodes were very enlarged, so we decided to use chemotherapy, which is usually very effective. Good results have been obtained and after three cycles of chemotherapy, which is standard, the lymph nodes have shrunk to 4.5 cm ”, says Dr. A. Ulys.
He adds that the lymph nodes still need to be examined further for signs of cancer. If the lymph nodes are larger than 3 cm, a biopsy or removal is recommended. After that, the patient must be monitored for at least 5 years and tests must be carried out to make sure that the disease does not return.
Causes of testicular cancer
Another doctor from the Department of Oncourology at the National Cancer Center. urologist dr. Marius Kinčius points out that there are several known factors behind the disease. One of them is the testes that did not descend in infancy, when boys are born with cryptorchidism. Also chromosome changes when born with Klainfelter syndrome, when a man has a sex chromosome instead of XY but XXY.
Also, if there is a history of testicular cancer in the family, there is a greater chance of it occurring in other men in the family. Age is also a factor in the disease, as testicular cancer is more common in younger men. It is also worth mentioning that whites are more likely to have this cancer than blacks.
“In Lithuania, the 5-year survival rate is approximately 84 to 88%. In recent years, this percentage has been increasing and survival rates have improved every year, but we are still lagging behind Western Europe, where the survival rate is 98%. One factor could be early diagnosis. Another reason may be centralized treatment. <...> I think that with the improvement of diagnoses and the centralization of treatment in the coming years, the Lithuanian indicator should improve ”, the doctor considers.
The doctor says that basically testing when the pain starts may be too late. The recommended breast self-exam for women is not new, but there is less talk about the fact that young men need a testicular self-exam as well.
“At least once a month or two you should feel your testicles. The scrotum contains two testicles. They are of medium consistency, with 3 quail eggs or less the size of a chicken egg each. Next to them are the testicular appendages. Men who experience a painless hardening should see a urologist to assess for an oncology disease onset. There is nothing shameful here, “says M. Kinčius.
Treatment of testicular cancer and fertility
M. Kinčus points out that when visiting a doctor’s office, the same palpation is performed first, only this time it is not the patient who performs it, but the doctor. An ultrasound is also done that is sensitive enough to detect primary changes that may indicate cancer.
It is unfortunate, but treatment for testicular cancer can have a negative effect on a man’s fertility, but your doctor will tell you what to take in such cases.
“The family situation of the patient is always evaluated, since it is often young men. It is not a family yet. Sometimes even young people between 17 and 19 years old, do not even think about it. We always evaluate whether it is not worth freezing. sperm before treatment because we do not know what methods may be necessary during treatment.
For example, chemotherapy has a very toxic effect on sperm and can make a man infertile for the rest of his life. Freezing and holding semen for the future is always welcome. Men generally take advantage of this opportunity if it is relevant to them.
If a man has 1 testicle left, it is enough for the woman to conceive if the sperm condition was good before the operation. However, subsequent fertility also depends on the course of treatment, so even with a healthy testicle, help for artificial insemination may be needed in the future, ”he says.
Dr. M. Kinčius says that, first of all, men must understand that genital diseases are nothing to be ashamed of.
“When in doubt, it is always better to investigate. Also, do not forget the self-examination and self-assessment of existing or non-existent changes,” adds the doctor.
You can see the full recording of the conference here:
Everything you need to know about testicular cancer
Breast self-exam is not new to many, but not everyone knows how to feel the testicles carefully and regularly. In April, Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, the IMI invites you to speak out loud about the fact that: – Testicular cancer is a disease of young men that is 90% of cases can be palpated physically; – Testicular cancer can be completely cured; – a record number of new cases of this cancer in the previous quarantine year, which is likely to be a very threatening message for this year; Speakers: – patient Marius Kuzma – Head of the Department of Oncourology at IMI dr. Albertas Ulys – MD, Department of Oncourology urologist dr. Marius Kinčius
Posted by the National Cancer Institute in 2021 Monday, April 12
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