Surgical removal of the testicle (orchidectomy) is usually the first treatment for seminoma or teratoma. It also allows your doctor to make an exact diagnosis.

It is uncommon for cancer to affect both testicles. A very small number of men develop a new cancer in the remaining testicle. For this reason, a small biopsy of the unaffected testicle may be done at the time of the initial orchidectomy or at an appointment after the surgery.

The testicular biopsy is a procedure in which a cut is made in the skin of the scrotum. A small sample of cells is taken from the testicle. If no signs of early cancer are present, no treatment needs to be given to that testicle. If the earliest stage of cancer is present (tumour in situ), this can usually be cured by a low dose of radiotherapy to the testicle.

Further surgery is sometimes needed after radiotherapy or chemotherapy, to remove any cancer cells that may still be in the lymph nodes of the abdomen or chest.