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Testicular Cancer
- Topic Overview
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Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Nearly all men with testicular cancer begin treatment with surgery to remove the cancerous testicle. This procedure is called a radical inguinal orchiectomy. With nonseminoma cancer, surgery may be done to remove lymph nodes in the pelvis and lower back. This surgery is called retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND).
Surgery choices
Testicular cancer may be treated with the following surgeries:
- Surgery to remove a testicle (radical inguinal orchiectomy)
- Surgery to remove lymph nodes in the pelvis and lower back (retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, or RPLND)
- Surgery to remove other areas of cancer if it has spread in the body
What to think about
Try to find an experienced surgeon and a medical center where many surgeries are done for your kind of cancer. Experience can make a big difference. You will likely have fewer side effects, and you'll recover more quickly.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: January 13, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Christopher G. Wood, MD, FACS - Urology, Oncology | |
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