Santo Domingo, RD.
According to Dr. Jazmín García, a radiation oncologist at the RADINOC Integral Radiotherapy Center, testicular cancer is the most common in young people 20 years of age and older and occurs when the cells of the testicles grow and multiply uncontrollably, damaging the tissue surrounding healthy and interfering with the normal function of the testicle.
“This cancer is the most common in young adults, since it mainly affects men between 20 and 34 years old,” specifies the doctor.
It does indicate, however, that when testicular cancer is detected early, there is more than a 90% chance of cure.
He recommends that periodically, as women do with the breast, men do a testicular self-examination, “since this cancer, in its early stage, does not hurt or have bleeding or present any other symptoms, it is simply noted that the testicle has changed in size or presents a lump, an indurated mass that normally should not be there ”.
The specialist explains that this cancer is also called cancer of the “girlfriend”, since the couple is the first to detect something abnormally on occasions.
Jazmín García says that sometimes there may be a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum, a dull pain in the lower abdomen or groin, or even localized discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum.
“Most of these symptoms do not have to be cancer, but if you observe one or more of them, you should consult a urologist. In some cases, external factors also influence, such as testicular atrophies, which can be secondary to diseases, such as mumps, ”he points out.
According to the specialist, another factor may be the contralaterality; that is, if the patient has had a tumor in one testicle, it may develop in the other and, although less common, it can also be due to chromosomal alterations.
The treatment of choice in this cancer is the removal of the testicle always through the groin, making a small incision in the abdomen. Depending on the type of cells in the tumor, chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be continued.
Although it does not necessarily have to affect fertility, “many times, prior to any treatment, patients are usually asked for a fertility study, and a semen preservation can be done,” concludes Dr. García.
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