Testicular Cancer May Leave Lasting Effects

Testicular cancer in men is one of the taboo subjects in life – we don’t talk about it, likely because it most frequently happens in younger men between the ages of 15 and 34 years. And, testicular self-examination is much like breast self-examination was many years ago, something else we don’t talk about.

Testicular cancer, while not common (only 1% of cancers in men), is the most common cancer in men in that age group. It is also, one of the most treatable cancers there are, particularly when caught early.

Usually the first approach to treatment is to remove the testicle that has the cancerous cells. If the cancer has spread, the surgeons may have to remove some lymph nodes as well.

Some men have to have radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, depending on the type of cancer and if it has spread or not. The type of chemotherapy chosen is something that the doctors must decide, again, depending on the type of cancer.

That being said, researchers now have found that many men who were treated for testicular cancer several years ago, using a type of chemotherapy using cisplatin, were left with more long-term side effects affecting the nerves, neurological side effects, than men who didn’t receive this type of chemotherapy. These side effects include sensory neuropathy, tinnitus, hearing impairment, and Raynaud-like phenomena (discoloration of the hands or feet on exposure to cold).

The researchers, in Norway, studied 1,409 men who had testicular cancer in one testicle. What they found was that men who had chemotherapy were at a much higher risk of developing the neurological problems and hearing loss anywhere from 4 to 21 years later, compared with men who didn’t have chemotherapy.

The study findings were published in the most recent issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

~~~

Image: PhotoXpress.com