Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer is usually a germ-cell tumour presenting as a persistent intratesticular mass in a young adult; urgent ultrasound, tumour markers and radical inguinal orchidectomy establish the diagnosis, while stage-directed specialist treatment achieves very high cure rates.
Definition
Testicular cancer is a malignant tumour of the testis. Most are germ-cell tumours, classified broadly as seminoma or non-seminomatous germ-cell tumour; less common sex-cord stromal and other tumours follow different specialist pathways.
First principles
A persistent intratesticular mass is cancer until specialist assessment proves otherwise
A solid lesion arising within the testis is more concerning than a cystic epididymal or tunical swelling. Pain does not exclude cancer, and normal tumour markers do not exclude it. A non-painful enlargement or change in testicular shape should follow the urgent suspected-cancer pathway, while sudden severe pain remains a separate torsion emergency.
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