What is the treatment for testicular cancer?

Testicular cancer is also a common cancer. It occurs in the male testicular tissue and most of them are malignant. Not only is it difficult to treat, it also has a great impact on male fertility. Once you have testicular cancer, you must actively treat it. So what are the treatments for testicular cancer? Let's learn about the treatments for testicular cancer together.

Patients can choose different treatment methods according to the cause of their disease. The common treatment methods are as follows:

1. Radiation therapy for testicular cancer

Radiation therapy is a method of using high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy is a local treatment that affects only cancer cells in the area being treated. When treating testicular cancer, doctors use an accelerator outside the patient's body to send high-energy rays to the lymph nodes in the abdomen. Radiation therapy affects not only cancer cells, but also normal cells. The side effects of radiation therapy are usually determined by the dose of treatment. Common side effects include fatigue, skin changes in the treated area, nausea, and diarrhea. Radiation therapy can affect a patient's ability to produce sperm, but most men with testicular cancer will still be able to have children for 1 to 2 years.

2. Conservative treatment of testicular cancer

Conservative treatments for testicular cancer include radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy requires different doses of radiation according to the patient's condition, and one or more combined treatments are also required according to the patient's condition. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy have significant side effects, and supportive treatments, such as nutritional support, are also required during treatment.

3. Comprehensive treatment of testicular cancer

For some testicular cancer patients, surgery cannot completely eliminate the lesions because the cancer has already metastasized. However, if the metastasis is not serious, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can kill the metastatic tumor cells. In this case, a comprehensive treatment method should be adopted, that is, radiotherapy or chemotherapy should be performed first, and then surgical treatment should be performed when the time is right.

4. Surgery for testicular cancer

Orchiectomy includes radical orchiectomy and partial orchiectomy with testicular preservation. Radical orchiectomy is suitable for patients with stage I spermatogonia; partial orchiectomy with testicular preservation is suitable for patients with bilateral testicular cancer or tumors in a single testicle with normal testosterone levels and a tumor volume less than 30% of the testicle. This procedure should be performed under strict indications because the rate of testicular carcinoma in situ is as high as 82%. Radiotherapy is generally required after surgery, and radiotherapy will affect the reproductive function of testicular cancer patients. At present, this procedure is still in the exploratory stage.