Recently diagnosed as suspected TC. Orchiectomy tomorrow. Questions with marker #

[CT903]

Hello. 26 yr old male here who is undergoing orchiectomy for right testicle tomorrow based off of HCG # being 2117 (other two markers normal) and an ultrasound showing 3 intratesticular masses within the right testicle. All 3 are of approximately the same size .5 cm by .5 cm by .5 cm. Heads spinning. Its all moving so quick but I guess thats how this is treated once suspected. I have done as much info gathering as possible these last few days and still feel in the dark and completely uneducated about how good or bad the prognosis is. Maybe the only way to tell is to wait it out, however, I thought I'd run it by the members here and see if I could gather better info. With the HCG being that high is it likely to have metastasized? I don't know if markers can indicate spread but from what I've found <5000 HCG is good risk prognosis, 5000-50000 intermediate risk prognosis, and greater than 50000 is poor risk prognosis. Is this accurate? Is the only way to know by waiting for orch then CT's and imaging? Can I make any assumption off of the number sitting at 2117. I understand it should be less than 5 so it has me concerned to say the least. Very scared. Losing a testicle doesnt bother me but potentially going through a lengthy lymph node surgery and then lengthy chemo has me consumed with anxiety. What makes it worse is I already have panic disorder. Ive been holding it together well though and havent had to take any of my prescribed xanax. Any insight would be much appreciated. I dont mean to sound like a sissy I know many here have had to go through all of this. If youd like any more info I'll gladly provide it. Thanks for taking the time to read/respond.

[eodtech2001]

At this point there is no way of saying if it has or has not spread. First thing is to get the tumor out of there and your hcg should start to drop fairly quickly.
Next step after surgery is staging and thay is done by imaging and pathology report. The hurry up and wait is the worst part. You will have alot of options thrown your way very soon. As for TC cancer you still have a very high survival/cure rate even with poor risk some where north of 87% give or take with other factors that you simply do not know yet. So hang in there and keep us posted and we will try and answer your questions and ease your mind as we all go thru this together.
You may very well be cured with just the I/O by itself even with high markers. But lets not get to far head. Get the tumor out and go from there. The surgery isnt to bad and you should be feeling prettt okay within a day or so. Just take it easy.
If your other markers are normal and only have hcg then more than likely it is seminoma. Wont swear to that but its pretty good assumption. So lets just assume its pure seminoma then you have at the very least 95% cure/survival rate thats just how seminoma is. You can read my signature and see what i have been thru, but here I am almost 5 yrs in remission just went thru hell to get there. So again hang in there and take it 1 step at a time.

[CT903]

Thanks so much for the reply. One day at a time I suppose and hoping the pain isn't too bad tomorrow. Really, thanks much for responding.

[Trekga]

So sorry! You are in the waiting stage, for pathology, CT scans, than followup tumor markers. The next 3 weeks will give you some insight- if scans are clear, and HCG drops than maybe no spread. It can take up to 5 weeks though if initial scan is clear, but markers do not normalize as expected. Do not feel as though you should not touch Xanax if needed,

[Leanersnail4]

Sorry about the news man. I’m currently battling this too. You will get through the procedure fine. Take it day by day at this point.

[CT903]

Thank you all for the replies. Orch in about 4 hours. I hope the best for everyone here.

[Davepet]

Well, you should be out of recovery by now, hope it allwent well.

As eodtech said, you can't really tell much by the markers alone. High markers do not always mean advanced disease. The half life if hcg is 24-36 hours, so a retest in a few days might provide more info.

Dave

[No_ab_cut_2]

who is undergoing orchiectomy for right testicle tomorrow based off of HCG # being 2117

Hey @CT903,

Hope everything went well. I know that by the time you read this your surgery will be done.

As a general rule it is always a good idea to get a redraw of blood work if the numbers come back with extraordinary results.

In this case because 2117 will now be your base line. I know that TC is treated like an emergency and the results of your ultra sound alone would have been enough to do the surgery even if the HCG had been normal. Still, even a new pre surgical base line blood draw where the results came back after the removal of the testicle would add clarity later on in treatment.

About 6 years ago I had my thyroid removed based on a FNA that showed cancer. They did the normal blood work at a pre surgical appointment with the anesthesiologist (even though I brought all my lab work from less than a month prior). One test came back just barely out of range. I mean like one single digit out of range (actually it was one single digit from being report as not found - and not found was the desired result).

The surgeon came in and pointed out that lab result. I took the paper glanced at it and said, "it's a lab error". He asked how I knew. I told him I'd been getting that test three to four times a year for 16 years and it was always in the normal range (ie not found). He ran the test again and it came back perfect. That was 6 years ago and since then it's never been out of range since.

It's difficult for patients to ask for 2nd opinions, let alone to request a redraw of blood work. But, I wouldn't start cholesterol lowering medication based on the result of one lab result. I know TC isn't the same - but a blood redraw with at least two data points would have doubled the information you had post surgery.

[Ann]

CT903 - We were in your shoes last year at this time. My son had is surgery 7/19/17. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[dcalandrelli]

Good risk is always a positive step! Take it one day at a time. Keep in mind this is a forum for TC cancer patients and very rarely have we lost users for anything other than cures and moving on and going on with life especially with good prognosis.

[CT903]

Thank you all for the replies. Means so much to me. Orch went better than I could have expected. Haven't touched any tramadol or ibuprofen and have been feeling well. Urologist should be calling today at some point and hopefully have some pathology info as well. Will keep updating as time goes on. Thanks again for all the replies it really is very helpful. I wish you all the very best.

[Trekga]

Glad you are recovering well. Keep us updated on pathology. Also scans and tumor markers.