The testicle is the male generative gland in animals. The testicles are the male sex glands. The 2 small glands lie in a pouch of skin behind the penis called the scrotal sac, or scrotum. The testicles produce and store sperm, and they are also the body's main source of male hormones. These hormones control the development of the reproductive organs and other male characteristics, such as body and facial hair, low voice, and wide shoulders. They usually move down into the scrotum just before or just after birth. An undescended testicle is one that did not move down into the scrotum. Undescended testicles are common in male babies. Up to 30 percent of boys born early and 5 percent of boys born on time have at least one undescended testicle. It will usually move down on.
Testicular cancer is a disease in which cells become malignant (cancerous) in one or both testicles. Testicular cancer consider for only 1 % of all cancers in men in the United States. About 8,000 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer, and about 390 men die of this disease each year. The testicular cancer rate has more than doubled among white men in the past 40 years, but has only recently begun to increase among black men. Men who have had testicular cancer are at increased risk of developing cancer in the other testicle. Men born with abnormalities of the testicles, penis, or kidneys, as well as those with inguinal hernia (hernia in the groin area, where the thigh meets the abdomen), may be at increased risk. The risk for testicular cancer is greater in men whose brother or father has had the disease.
Testicle Cancer Treatment and Prevention Tips
Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells.
Hormone therapy alone is effective in less than 20% of cases.
Most men with testicular cancer can be cured with surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.
Surgery to remove the testicle through an incision in the groin is called a radical inguinal orchiectomy.
Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
