What is testicular cancer?

The testicles are 2 egg-shaped glands located inside the scrotum (a sac of loose skin that lies directly below the penis)

The testicles are held within the scrotum by the spermatic cord, which also contains the vas deferens and vessels and nerves of the testicles

The testicles are the male sex glands and produce testosterone and sperm

Germ cells within the testicles produce immature sperm that travel through a network of tubules (tiny tubes) and larger tubes into the epididymis (a long coiled tube next to the testicles)

The sperm matures and gets stored in the testicles

Testicular cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of one or both testicles

Almost all testicular cancers start in the germ cells

Germ cell tumors: The most common type of testicular tumors. Germ cell tumors start in the cells that make sperm

Stromal tumors: Start in the cells that make hormones and the cells that support the cells that make sperm

Secondary testicular tumors: Start from cancer that has spread to the testicles from other parts of the body

The 2 main types of germ cell tumors are seminomas and nonseminomas

Seminomas

Start from germ cells of the testicle that make sperm

Within this group there are also subtypes

Seminomas usually happen in men when they are between 25 and 45

Nonseminomas

-Tend to develop earlier in life than seminomas

-They are often found in men between their late teens and early 30s

-There are 4 main subtypes

-Most tumors are mixed, having at least 2 different subtypes

-But all nonseminoma germ cell cancers are treated the same way, so the exact type is not that important

Tumors can also grow in the cells that make hormones and in the supportive tissues (the stroma) of the testicles
Stromal cell tumors are often benign (not cancer)

They usually do not spread beyond the testicle and can be cured by taking them out. But a few stromal cell tumors spread to other parts of the body (metastasize)

Metastatic stromal cell tumors have a poor outlook because they do not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation treatment

The 2 main types of stromal tumors are Leydig cell tumors and Sertoli cell tumors

These tumors start in another organ and then spread to the testicle

Lymphoma is the most common cancer that does this. In boys with acute leukemia, the leukemia cells can sometimes form a tumor in the testicle
Cancers of the prostate, lung, skin, kidney, and other organs can also spread to the testicles

The outlook for these cancers is usually poor. That's because very often these cancers have spread widely to other organs, too

Treatment depends on the exact type of cancer

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