Testicular biopsy and trouble diagnosing - any experiences?

Its a really tough choice but I can tell you that in the usa and uk they follow established protocol which says that in cases like this orchiectomy is the preferred treatment. Losing one guy is not a big deal, you can get a prosthetic and live a long normal life. Having some cancer spread could be a big deal and have a more significant impact on your life.

Good luck with everything and God Bless!

Thanks for the reply - appreciate it!

I see the reasoning. It's just that I would like to be as sure of diagnosis as possible. If I need to get it removed, obviously I'll get on with it, but it's still a very big decision. Especially since the test results are sort of inconclusive. That is why biopsy seems like an appealing option, if I can get it done quickly and if it's reasonably safe.

Maybe I'm just missing the big picture here - my doctor spoke to me about the need for surgery, but didn't really explain the risks if it's postponed. Of course, I know that cancer is the most serious thing, but I don't know if I have some time to do more research and scans and make a better-informed decision, or if it's better to act right away. I'll see another doctor with more experience in cases like this in a couple of days, hopefully it will become more clear.

Hi. I'm in the UK. I recently had an orchidectomy. The doctors can never be certain of a growth being cancerous until they get it under a microscope. It was clear that my ultrasound technician and urological consultant had seen a great many cases, and were pretty certain that mine was cancerous right from my first ultrasound.

Throughout my treatment I got the impression that the doctors recommended approach varies with the stage you are at in your life. If you are approaching or past middle age and married with children for instance their recommendations will be different than if you are young and single.  

Are you able to ask for a second opinion from another doctor in your country? It wouldn't offend your doctor if you sought one.

Best wishes

Hi Teahupo, many thanks for the reply!

Yes, I will see another urologist in a couple of days, one with more experience with TC. 

I'm confused because my ultrasound technician said that to him the lump almost definitely looks benign while my urologist says it's probably malignant. The ultrasound guy also told me that urologists can sometimes be heavily in favour of a surgery and told me to get more scans to make sure. He suggests an MRI scan in the ultrasound report. The urologist looked at the report, but says the MRI scan would be of no real use. On top of that, the ultrasound guy is rather elderly and has (I assume) seen a lot of cases while the urologist is rather young. I know that a urologist's opinion is more important and I don't want to be paranoid, they both seem very professional. I also don't mean to get false hopes up just because the ultrasound doctor has a different option. But obviously I'm very confused by all this and want to make as sure as possible.

I'm in my early 30s and in a long-term relationship, we hope to have kids within the next five years.

Best wishes, hope you have recovered successfully and are doing well!

Hi, I was misdiagnosed with testicular cancer in 2014 and asked for a biopsy but was denied one due to the risk of the cancer spreading. My original problem was actually pain in the left testicle but at the ultrasound they were more concerned with a mass which they spotted in the right one. I was then told the pain was referred from the cancer and any further investigations would be a waste of time and that removing the cancerous testicle would cure my pain. I had my orchidectomy and the pain never went away and I still suffer today, and to make matters worse I never had cancer in the first place. It turned out what they saw on the ultrasound was scar tissue which can sometimes mimic cancer (1% of cases). You can ask for a PET scan and see if they’ll do that or another ultrasound. Ultimately it is up to you and if it is cancer you’re gonna want it gone asap. On a side note I also had a prosthetic fitted which I subsequently had removed due to the chafing and discomfort that also gave me so if you get that option then my advice would be to avoid getting one. In my case you can’t tell I only have one by looking anyway.

Hope this helps and doesn’t scare you or anything, I just thought I’d chuck in my story to show it does happen although it is very rare (I was the only one in 7 years at that particular hospital).

Thanks,

Paul

Hi Paul! Sorry to hear about that and hope you are doing better now.

It's obviously all a bit scary, but very useful to know, thank you for sharing! I'll look into PET scans and ask my doctor about them.

I've pretty much accepted that it's very likely I've got cancer. I'll just try to get as good a confirmation as I can, like I would with any medical issue - provided I can get it quickly and safely.

I'm not too keen on getting a prosthetic, to be honest. There are other things that scare me a lot more.

Take care!

Hi everyone! So, an update on my situation - I'll have a surgery in the upcoming weeks. I consulted another urologist with more experience with TC and she said it absolutely needs to be taken off and that biopsy is too dangerous. I'll do another ultrasound and a CT scan just to get a better picture, but it's decided. Feel very stressed, but also relieved.

Many thanks to everyone who answered, I really appreciate it. Guess I might be coming to this forum in the future! Take care everyone

Good luck with the surgery. Try not to worry too much about it - it isn't very complicated or risky, and for me recovery was very fast.

G