Testicular cancer

• Having undescended testicles: Men with undescended testicles are three times more likely to develop testicular cancer than those whose testicles descend at birth or shortly after birth.
• Being Māori: Māori men have a higher risk of getting testicular cancer.
• Being young: Testicular cancer affects younger men more than older men.
• Having a family history: Having a close family member with a history of testicular cancer or an undescended testicle increases your risk.
• Having a history of testicular cancer: If you've had testicular cancer in 1 testicle, you have an increased risk of developing testicular cancer in your other one.

Most cases of testicular cancer are found during medical testing for other conditions, or when doing a testicular self-examination. Here's a slide show demonstrating how to do a self exam(external link) or you can watch a video – see the section below.

Symptoms include:

• a lump in your testicles, which can feel hard, is often painless and can be about the size of a pea (though it can be larger)
• a change in the size or feel of your testicles
• a dull ache or sharp pain in your testicles or scrotum that comes and goes
• a feeling of heaviness in your scrotum.

It's very important to regularly check your testicles for any new changes. Changes to look out for include lumps, a change in size, a feeling of heaviness or unevenness in the scrotum, and any discomfort.

Video: Testicular Cancer Self-Examination

See the Testicular Cancer NZ video below about how to examine your testicles. This video may take a few moments to load.

A lump in your testicle isn't always cancer but it's best to get it checked.

See your healthcare provider if you notice a lump, any swelling or a change in one or both of your testicles.

They will ask you questions about your general health and medical history. They'll examine you both lying and standing to check the position of the lump. They may hold a light against your scrotum to see if the light passes through.

If your healthcare provider thinks you may have testicular cancer, they'll refer you to a specialist for further assessment.

Tests for testicular cancer include a urine test, blood test, ultrasound and a biopsy (taking a tiny sample of tissue).

Testicular cancer is nearly always curable if it's found early. If it isn't found early, the cancer can spread to lymph nodes and other parts of your body.

Your treatment will depend on the type and stage of testicular cancer. The first treatment option is usually removing the affected testicle. This is called an orchidectomy (or-kid-ec-tom-ee) or orchiectomy (or-ki-ec-tom-ee). Chemotherapy and radiation treatment may follow this.