The treatments that are used to treat testicular cancer are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The treatment that you might receive if your lump is a cancer will depend upon what type of cancer it is and whether or not it has spread to other parts of the body.

There are two main types of testicular cancer. These are seminoma and teratoma. The treatment used for each type is different. (Occasionally the cancers appear to be a mixture of seminoma and teratoma, if this happens the cancer is treated as a teratoma).

Surgical removal of the affected testicle is usually the first treatment used. This operation is also known as an orchidectomy. Once the testicle has been removed it can be examined under a microscope to find out the exact diagnosis (whether it is a seminoma or a teratoma).

The doctors can then check to see if the cancer has spread beyond the testicle by doing blood tests, CT scans and chest x-rays. The results of these tests, together with the appearance of the cancer under the microscope, can also be used to decide whether there is a risk that the cancer may have spread, but is too small to show up the scans or blood tests.

Once all this information is known then your doctors will discuss with you what needs to be done next. Assuming the test show no signs the cancer has spread then for seminomas this might involve some radiotherapy or chemotherapy, whilst for teratomas the choice is usually between chemotherapy or a policy of careful check-ups with no additional treatment. If the tests do show signs of spread then chemotherapy will usually be recommended for both seminomas and teratomas.