Treatment for testicular cancer
You might not need further treatment after you have surgery to remove your testicle ( ). But you have regular tests. These are to check for early signs of the cancer coming back so that it can be found and treated early. Doctors call this surveillance.
Your doctor can tell you about your risk of the cancer coming back and discuss the best plan for you.
You usually have surveillance for at least 5 years. You have regular tests and appointments, depending on your situation. It is very important to go to all your appointments.
You might have surveillance if you have stage 1 testicular cancer and the risk of your cancer coming back is low.
Your doctor will assess several factors that affect the risk of your cancer coming back. They will discuss your risk of the cancer coming back with you. And they will also tell you about what surveillance involves.
You can start treatment if there is any sign that your cancer has come back.
Read more about how doctors decide about your treatment plan
It's very important to go to your monitoring appointments. If the cancer comes back it will be found when it’s small and treatment can cure it.
You usually see your doctor:
every 3 months if you have non seminoma
every 6 months if you have seminoma
You have follow up for 5 years. Over time, the risk of the cancer coming back goes down. Your appointments become less frequent.
Your doctor will examine you and check your other testicle. They will ask you how you feel. You can tell your doctor about:
any new or ongoing symptoms
any emotional or sexual problems caused by the cancer or treatment
This helps your doctor give you the best care and support.
You usually have some tests, although you might not have all of these tests at each appointment. Tests include:
blood tests to check the
or scans
If your tumour markers go up or scans show that the cancer has come back, you will need more treatment. You usually have chemotherapy.
There is still a very high chance that the treatment will cure the cancer.
Some people find it very stressful to know that they need monitoring. You can talk this through with your doctor or specialist nurse. They can:
reassure you
explain how often you will have checks
explain the treatment you may have if the cancer does come back
Visit the Orchid (fighting male cancer) website for more support
It can be very helpful to have counselling after cancer treatment or during longer term treatments.
Find out about counselling and cancer
To keep healthy and feel you are doing something positive, you can:
eat a healthy diet
try to learn to relax
try to stop smoking
note any new symptoms and report them to your doctor or nurse
Last reviewed: 20 Dec 2024
Next review due: 20 Dec 2027
You usually have surgery. You might have chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This depends on the stage and type of your testicular cancer.
Chemotherapy uses anti cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. You might have it to lower the risk of your cancer coming back after surgery to remove a testicle. Or to treat cancer that has spread.
Surgery to remove the testicle is usually the first treatment for testicular cancer. Find out about surgery, and what to expect in hospital and after your operation.
Your treatment options depend on your cancer stage and type. You usually have surgery. You might also have chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
After treatment, you have regular check ups to look for signs of the cancer coming back.
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