What Is Testicular Cancer?

Cancer that develops in a testicle is called testicular cancer. The testicles are part of the male reproductive system, and produce sperm and several male hormones, including testosterone.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 8,820 new cases of testicular cancer were expected to be diagnosed in 2014 in the United States.

Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor diagnosed in men between the ages of 15 and 35, but it is still relatively rare; a man's lifetime chance of developing testicular cancer is about 1 in 270. Because treatment is so successful, the risk of dying from this cancer is very low: about 1 in 5,000.

Testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. When testicular cancer spreads, the cancer cells are carried by blood or by lymph, an almost colorless fluid produced by tissues all over the body. The fluid passes through lymph nodes, which filter out bacteria and other abnormal substances such as cancer cells.

At Stanford, our Urologic Cancer doctors have made great strides in treating testicular cancer over the past few decades, and offer advanced surgical, radiation and drug therapy treatments in a supportive environment.

Testicular cancer expertise

The Stanford Urologic Cancer team has made great strides in recent years in advancing the treatments for testicular cancer.  Our surgeons specialize in nerve-sparing and minimally invasive procedures, as well as stem cell transplantation combined with high-dose chemotherapy regimens for advanced cancer.

Program highlights include:

• Multispecialty tumor board, who review patient records, imaging and pathologic specimens, and provide a comprehensive treatment recommendation.
• Minimally invasive, laporascopic surgery
• Nerve-sparing procedures
• Stem cell transplantation
• Fertility preservation
• Monthly urologic support groups, including lectures on state-of-the-art treatments and clinical trials, as well as interactive patient/physician panel discussions