Testicular cancer: testicular self-examination

[ --- 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! --- ]

The TCRC - the Testicular Cancer Resource Center - "recommends following these steps every month (keep in mind that the point is not to find something wrong, it is to learn what everything feels like so that you will know if something changes):

Stand in front of a mirror. Check for any swelling on the scrotal skin. Examine each testicle with both hands. Place the index and middle fingers under the testicle with the thumbs placed on top. Roll the testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers - you shouldn't feel any pain when doing the exam. (Don't be alarmed if one testicle seems slightly larger than the other, that's normal.) Find the epididymis, the soft, tubelike structure behind the testicle that collects and carries sperm. If you are familiar with this structure, you won't mistake it for a suspicious lump. Cancerous lumps usually are found on the sides of the testicle but can also show up on the front. (Lumps on the epididymis are not cancerous.) If you find a lump on your testicle, see a doctor, preferably a urologist, right away. The abnormality may not be cancer, it may just be an infection. But if it is testicular cancer, it will spread if it is not stopped by treatment. Waiting and hoping will not fix anything. When in doubt, get it checked out - if only for peace of mind!

Other signs of testicular cancer to keep in mind are:

• any enlargement of a testicle,
• a significant loss of size in one of the testicles,
• a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum,
• a dull ache in the lower abdomen or in the groin,
• a sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum,
• pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum,
• enlargement or tenderness of the breasts."

(© tcrc.acor.org)

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