Unfortunately, a new member is here

[Bxtom]

Hello everyone. My name is Tom. I'm 47 and I was just diagnosed (almost) with TC yesterday. I'm still waiting for the blood test results today, but the surgery has been scheduled for 9/25. Obviously, I'm freaking out and overwhelmed with trying to learn about all this. I have no idea where to start or what to do, so here I am. More importantly, I'm sorry for everyone who has to be here. I wish us all the best of luck and for the best possible outcomes.

[Vaan]

Hi Bxtom!
Unfortunately waiting is the most difficult stage. Keep in mind that TC is a curable disease! Except from I/O you should also schedul CT scans in order to find the stage. Also after Orchiectomy you will learn about the type of TC. Try to stay calm and thinking positive, i know it's difficult but keep in mind that the chances are with your side!

[Bxtom]

Thank you Vaan. I will. .Im assuming I/O is the surgery?

[Vaan]

Exactly.
Where are you from? You should choose an experienced with TC oncologist

[Sir Lurkington]

Hi and welcome, Tom! I'm sorry to see you here, but also glad you found this place. Lots of very knowledgeable people post on this forum, and I'm sure they'll do what they can to help you!

First of all, do your best to relax. I'm pretty sure you already know this, but the survival rate for testicular cancer is very high, and IF you end up needing chemotherapy, it's not like it once was/"old" movies portrayed it to be either.
How long ago did you start noticing something was different? The reason I'm asking is 'cause one of my biggest fears when I got diagnosed was that I waited too long and it had already spread throughout my entire body. I waited 5 (!) months after I first found a lump before seeing a doctor, and even though I've got one of the more aggressive types (non-seminoma. 100% embryonal carcinoma) it ended up not having spread past my testicle and I was diagnosed with a stage IB. Sometimes reading about illnesses and diseases can stress you out and make you worry even more, but in my case, the more I learned about testicular cancer, the more confident I felt that I'm going to beat it. I recommend reading as much as you can, if you feel like it could help, but make sure it's from legit sources (no, unfortunately kale juice won't cure every type of cancer ever in 15 days ).

Like Vaan said, you were completely right. I/O is short for inguinal orchiectomy, and it's a term that you'll be seeing quite often on this board.

To me, waiting for test results, both before and after my I/O, has been the most difficult part so far. I'm currently waiting for my next CT and blood tests, which will be done in about 2 weeks from now, to find out if I'm gonna need more than just 1 round of BEP (chemo), and all this waiting is stressing me out far more than getting the surgery done, to be honest!

[Bxtom]

Van : I live in Fishkill, NY ( about an hour north of the city).
Sir Lurkington (love the name): I didn't notice it at all, actually my Dr. did. No pain anywhere, nothing! I was actually referred to him because of a CT scan I had recently done of my heart (aortic aneurism I've been monitoring for years) and it showed a cyst on my right kidney. Was worried about that, but after a very thorough exam, doc couldn't have cared less about the cyst and that's when the floor dropped out from under me.

[Daniel_Eye]

Hi Bxtom

Welcome to the board no one wants to be a part of. I'm happy to hear that your doctor found out your TC on a whim. I bet he probably caught it early enough where it didn't spread (we hope) and you might need to do nothing more than active surveillance. Have they scheduled you for another CT scan in the abdomen area? That is where TC tends to land if it spreads so it would be a good idea to ask about that. Once the pathology comes back from your testicle regarding the type of tumor, your medical team can help you make the best decision in regards to future treatment. If you can avoid chemo please do so until you absolutely need it. I'm 32 and just finished chemo in the end of May....**** that ****....it is a total mind **** to go through. If you don't have children and want one ask your Urologist to do a semen analysis then go to a sperm bank if there is viable sperm in the semen. Make sure you do it in that order. Let us know how it turns out.

[Trekga]

Sorry to welcome you. Glad it was found by your Dr. So many have already made some good suggestions. Update us when you can.

[Bxtom]

I absolutely will. I'm so glad I found this site.

[Davepet]

Thank you Vaan. I will. .Im assuming I/O is the surgery?

You assumed correctly, from the Testicular Cancer Resource Center dictionary ( http://tcrc.acor.org/dictionary.html#GlossI ):

Inguinal orchiectomy - Removal of the testicle through an incision in the groin (roughly to the right or left of the pubic bone and a couple of inches below the belt line). Cancerous testicles are always removed through an inguinal incision, never through the scrotum.

The Testicular Cancer Resource Center, and the website here at TC Cancer.com are two of the best sources of accurate TC information online.

Dave

[Bxtom]

Well, got the results from the sonogram and tumor markers. I'm hoping someone can translate this into English for me. To me, the tumor markers are within normal range, but the doc said that although the tests rule out certain types of cancers, they don't tell him its NOT cancer, and the surgery must still happen. I had the pre-op screening tests done yesterday.

AFP : 5.8 (ref. range <6.1)
HCG: <2 (ref. range <5)
LDH : 570 (ref. range 313-618)

Right measures 5.3 X 2.7 X 4.0 cm It is diffusely heterogeneous is echotexture with lobulated contours. It is unclear whether this represents a large mass, multiple adjacent masses or a conlfuent infiltrative process. It is vascular. Aterial and venous flow is demonstrated. The right epididymal head measures 2 cm. in diameter. It contains 2 adjacent versus a septated cyst measuring 1.8 cm. There is no right hydrocele. There is no variocele.
Left measures 4.4 X 1.9 X 2.6 cm. It is minimslly heterogeneous in echotexture. arterial and venous flow is demonstrated. The epididymal head measures 0.8 in diameter. There is no left hydrocele. There is no variocele.

Impression: 1. Enlarged hetergeneous right testicle. In the proper clinical setting, this could represent infection, but concerning for neoplastic process. Clinical correlation is warranted.
2. Right Epididymal head cyst / cysts.

[Trekga]

Hoping someone can chime in, usually a u/s will tell if it is TC. You can have TC and no raised tumor markers. What is the plan, when will you know if you need an orchietcomy?

[Bxtom]

Hello Trega. The surgery is scheduled for Monday. I listed the u/s results, they're not exactly clear to me. I have a pre surgery meeting with the doc on Friday when I will hit him with my list of questions. Thanks for the reply.

[Davepet]

Well this is the key:

diffusely heterogeneous is echotexture

Ity doesn't actually mean it's TC, but it might well be. A normal testicle would appear homogeneous (IE look the same everywhere). Yours appears to contain several different tissue types. The only safe thing to do is get the surgery & find out for sure. The peace of mind will be worth it.

As far as tumor markers, they are only useful when elevated, which pretty much says you do have TC. Normal markers are useless & tell us nothing. Many guys here had TC with normal markers.

Dave