
It’s normal if one testicle is slightly bigger than the other, or if one hangs lower than the other. They should be smooth, firm and comfortable to touch. Find a warm environment and roll your testicles between your thumb and fingers to check for lumps or swelling. It’s also important to find out what’s normal for you and be aware of any changes.
Men who have undescended testes at birth. Men who have had a previous occurrence of testicular cancer. Men with a family history of cancer, such as a brother or father diagnosed with testicular cancer. According to Canadian Cancer Statistics 2019, one in 236 Canadian men will develop testicular cancer in their lifetime, while one in 1,000 will die from it.īecause it’s one of the more survivable cancers, it’s important to be aware of your risk factors: The incidence of testicular cancer diagnoses has been slowly increasing since 1984, but the mortality rate has been steadily decreasing. Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young Canadian men aged 15-35, but when caught and treated early the average survival rate is 97 percent, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. There are several types of testicular cancer, but the most common is a germ cell tumour. These cells can change and no longer grow or behave normally, leading to benign or cancerous tumours. Testicular cancer starts as an abnormal growth or tumour that develops in the cells of one or both of the testicles. In these cases the recommendation is for referral to the Urological Surgical Service for further management, which is usually surgical biopsy WHAT IS TESTICULAR CANCER? If ultrasound identifies a lesion suspicious for malignancy, the findings are immediately conveyed to the referring physician. Ultrasound can usually help differentiate between benign and malignant lesions.
On the other hand, waves will bounce off a solid tumor, creating a pattern of echoes that the computer will interpret as a lighter-colored image.
For example, most waves pass through a fluid-filled cyst and send back very few or faint echoes, which look black on the display screen.
The shape and intensity of the echoes depend on whether the area absorbs or transmits the sound waves. A small transducer (probe) both transmits sound waves into the body and records the waves that echo back.
Ultrasound imaging uses high-frequency, real-time sound waves to create an image. It could also be used to help diagnose trauma to the scrotal area, evaluate the cause of infertility, or look for an undescended testicle. Your health care practitioner might request a scrotum ultrasound to investigate an abnormality within the scrotum or the cause for symptoms like lumps, swelling, or pain. The scrotum is a pouch of skin containing the testicles, nerves, and blood vessels.