Testicular cancer: definition

[ --- Nota bene: Unless stated otherwise all information listed on this page was written and provided by a TC patient and not by a doctor. Although it was collected with great attention it cannot and shall in no way replace your visit to your local doctor! --- ]

Testicular cancer as of today is a cancer type that *can* be *fully* cured and is quite well understood by the doctors. Without treatment, though, a patient will definetely die.

It is cancer nevertheless! And that means that your cells do not perform the way they should. Cancer is often defined as a disease of the cells.

"Although cells in different parts of the body may look and work differently, most repair and reproduce themselves in the same way. Normally, this division of cells takes place in an orderly and controlled manner. If, for some reason, the process gets out of control, the cells will continue to divide, developing into a lump which is called a tumour. Tumours can be either benign or malignant.

normal cells (left) versus cells forming a tumour (right)

In a benign tumour the cells do not spread to other parts of the body and so are not cancerous. If they continue to grow at the original site, however, they may cause a problem by pressing on the surrounding organs.

A malignant tumour consists of cancer cells which have the ability to spread beyond the original site. If the tumour is left untreated, it may invade and destroy surrounding tissue. Sometimes cells break away from the original (primary) cancer and spread to other organs in the body along the bloodstream or lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system is made up of a collection of lymph glands connected by tiny lymph vessels. It carries lymph, a clear fluid produced in the body's tissues, around the body. Lymph includes white cells called lymphocytes which generally act as a defence against infections and cancer. If the lymphatic system is not able to contain the cancer cells, they can travel around the body and reach a new site. They may go on dividing and form a new tumour, often referred to as a secondary or metastasis." (© www.cancerbacup.org.uk)

The name testicular cancer derives from the fact that the first cells that do not perform like they should are cells of the testicles.

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