Diagnosis

Testicular Cancer Diagnosis

Testicular cancer is usually found by the patient himself during a self-exam. It can also be found by a doctor during a routine physical exam. In order to find out the reason for your symptoms, your doctor will perform a physical exam of the testicles and abdomen and may order laboratory and diagnostic tests. These tests include:

• Blood tests to measure the levels of certain tumor markers. If these tumor markers are elevated, cancer may be present.
• Ultrasound. Ultrasound uses sound waves to make a picture of your testicle. The ultrasound pictures give your doctor information about the size of testicle, its shape and the size of mass in your testicle. It can help rule out other conditions, such as swelling due to an infections.

Learn how to do a testicular self-exam (TSE) >