Testis Cancer
Signs and Symptoms
Typically, testicular cancer that is confined to the testis is not associated with any specific symptoms. The most common presentation is a painless, lump that is found in the scrotum on self examination. Less commonly, patients will present with scrotal/testicular pain or swelling.
Due to the relatively asymptomatic presentation of testicular cancer, some patients will not be diagnosed until the cancer as spread to the lymph nodes or other organs. In these cases, the symptoms are often unrelated to the testicle, but rather, related to the part of the body with metastatic cancer. These patients may present with fatigue, fevers/chills, nausea/vomiting, shortness of breath, or cough. Additionally, since the cancer first spreads to the lymph nodes in the back of the abdomen, patients may present with persistent back pain.
Stromal cell tumors (Leydig cell and Sertoli cell tumors) arise from the cells in the testicle that produce hormones. Patients with stromal cell tumor present with symptoms resulting from the overproduction of these hormones. The most common symptom that patients present with is breast enlargement (gynecomastia).
