How Fast Does Testicular Cancer Spread?
Incidence of Testicular Cancer
Every year, testicular cancer affects some 2000 men in the UK. Most of these sufferers are young or in middle-age. The incidence rate is between 1 to 2% of all cancers occurring in the UK each year. Fortunately, testicular cancer is the most treatable of all cancers with 95% of sufferers making a full recovery after treatment providing the disease is caught early enough. This contrasts sharply with the mortality statistics in the 1970’s where only 1 in 10 sufferers would be cured of the disease.
How Fast Does Testicular Cancer Spread?
There is little information readily available on the rate of spread of testicular cancer away from the site of the primary tumour, so it is difficult to answer the question about how fast testicular cancer spreads with any certainty. With respect to the tumour mass within the testicle itself, the cancer is fast developing. It is likely to double its mass within a 10 to 30 day period. If the cancer is not detected and goes untreated, life expectancy is between two to three years only. Testicular cancer, per se, does not kill its victims; rather fatalities occur when the cancer metastasizes and affects other organs. In any event, factors such as the age of the patient; their general state of health and fitness are likely to play a role in answering how fast testicular cancer spreads. It is certain that early detection and rapid treatment always increases the chances of a successful treatment to cancer.
Disease Progression - Staging
It is possible that the testicular cancer may spread to other parts of the body (metastasize), normally, via the lymphatic system. Should this happen, the most common sites to be affected are the stomach, the lungs, the spine and the retroperitoneal region (the area near the kidneys).
The extent to which a cancer has spread is referred to as staging. When testicular cancer is at stage 1, the disease is confined to the patient’s testicle and has not spread elsewhere. When the disease has reached stage 2, the cancer will have spread into the patient’s lymph system (the retroperitoneal lymph nodes are usually he first to be affected) and may spread to the kidneys. In stage 3 of the disease, the cancer has invaded other organs such as the lungs, brain or liver.
The nature (cell type) of the metastatic cancers will be the same as the original testicular cancer. Clearly, once the disease attains the later staging, it is more difficult to treat and the prognosis is less favourable. Since the progress of the disease is predictable, doctors can use staging to evaluate how far the disease has already progressed when a patient comes to them for the first time. With advancements in the understanding and treatment of testicular cancer, even patients in the later stages of the disease can be helped with an 80% success rate.
Treatment Of Testicular Cancer
Treatment of the disease will depend upon the staging when it is first treated. In the case of early detection, the affected testicle will be surgically removed – it can be replaced with a prosthetic testicle for cosmetic reasons. If the disease has already metastasized, further surgical interventions may be needed. These may include removal of the affected lymph nodes such as the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, but also those near the aorta and in the vena cava, depending on the staging of the disease. The patient may then need radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy to ensure that all cancerous cells have been destroyed.
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Further Resources
- https://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/testicular_cancer.html
- https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001288.htm
https://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-802-1625,11939.asp