Symptoms of Testicular Cancer

by Ricker Polsdorfer, MD

En Español (Spanish Version)

Symptoms of testicular cancer include:

A painless lump or swelling in either testicle
Enlargement or swelling of a testicle, or a change in the way it feels
Feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
A dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin
Fluid or swelling in the scrotum, especially (though not exclusively) if it appears suddenly
Pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum
Lower back pain (in later stages of the cancer)
Enlarged breasts

Note: Any of these symptoms may be caused by other, less serious health conditions. If you experience any one of them, see your physician.

The best way to discover testicular cancer is by finding it yourself when it is small. As with all cancers, the best results come from early treatment.

For more information on how to do a testicular self-exam, click here.

REFERENCES:

Casciato DA. Manual of Clinical Oncology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004.

Cashen AF, Wildes TM. The Washington Manual of Hematology and Oncology Subspeciality Consult. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolter Kluwers Health; 2008.

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center website. Available at: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/ . Accessed January 31, 2006.

Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine . 14th ed. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2000.

National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov . Accessed January 31, 2006.

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Last reviewed September 2012 by Igor Puzanov, MD
Last Updated: 09/26/2012

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