Symptoms of Testicular Cancer

Symptoms of testicular cancer can be subtle or absent in many patients. In fact, the most common presentation of tumors of the testes is a painless lump or swelling of the testicle. Therefore, many of these are discovered during a self testicular exam or doctor examination. They are most commonly painless and present as either a discrete lump or swelling, an enlargement of the testicle or some subtle change in the way it feels.

In some cases of large or invasive forms of testicular cancer, pain or discomfort in the testicle can occur. This is sometimes described as a sense of heaviness or fullness in the scrotum.

With some types of tumors, a growth of breast tissue, leading to enlargement of the breasts can occur, although there are other disorders which can cause this same symptom in men. This enlargement of breast tissue is called gynecomastia.

In the later stages of malignant tumors of the testes, as the tumor becomes more invasive or spreads, other symptoms can develop such as pain in the back or lower part of the abdomen. Additionally, if the tumor spreads to distant sites, such as the liver, brain or lungs, other symptoms related to those tissues may occur.