Our testicular cancer treatments
Surgery to remove the affected testicle can cure testicular cancer. But sometimes, you need other treatments if the cancer has spread or to prevent its return.
The best treatments for you are often highly personal — and our doctors take the time to make sure you understand the risk and benefits of all your options.
Our testicular cancer treatments include:
Surgery to remove a testicle is called radical inguinal orchiectomy. It is an essential part of your treatment plan. During this surgery, surgeons remove the testicle with cancer and any affected lymph nodes.
Your doctor may also recommend chemotherapy or radiation after surgery (called adjuvant therapies) even if orchiectomy removes all visible cancers. This additional treatment ensures that we kill any remaining cancer cells.
Learn more about testicular cancer surgery.
Advances in chemotherapy have dramatically improved the survival rate of testicular cancer over the last several decades. Chemotherapy uses drugs to attack and kill cancer cells. It is systemic, meaning it affects cells throughout your body.
You may receive adjuvant chemotherapy to treat metastatic testicular cancer. These drugs are injected under the skin or into a vein or muscle.
For chemotherapy to be effective, it should be tailored to you. Our oncologists are known for their expertise in determining which drugs will be the most effective in each person.
Rarely, testicular cancer doesn’t respond to standard therapies. Or cancer may return after treatment. In these cases, high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant can be effective.
Chemotherapy works by destroying rapidly multiplying cancer cells. But many of the body’s healthy cells multiply quickly, too. That’s why chemo doses must walk a delicate balance to be safe: People need enough medication to kill cancer cells but not harm too many healthy cells.
Stem cell transplants make it possible for patients to receive higher, more effective doses of chemotherapy. Before the chemo regimen, doctors harvest stem cells from your bloodstream to protect them from the chemo drugs. They then put them back into your body after chemotherapy.
Forty percent of testicular cancers are seminomas. Because seminomas are more sensitive to radiation, you may receive adjuvant radiation to:
- Prevent the cancer from returning (recurrence)
- Treat any cancer cells that remain after surgery
Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation oncologists direct the radiation beams at lymph nodes in the abdomen (belly) where the cancer may spread.
We offer the latest radiation equipment, technology and treatments available to treat testicular cancer. Some of these advanced therapies include image-guided radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy and proton therapy.
Not every male with early-stage testicular cancer needs more treatment after surgery. Instead, we use personalized active surveillance plans to check for cancer recurrence.
In our large active surveillance program, patients undergo regular imaging and blood tests. This approach helps males avoid overtreatment and short- and long-term treatment side effects. Learn more about testicular cancer surveillance.
Proton therapy for testicular cancer
At Penn Medicine, we offer the latest technologies that not only cure cancers — they reduce the risk of testicular cancer treatment side effects that affect your quality of life. Proton therapy is one of these advanced tools.
What is proton therapy for testicular cancer?
Proton radiation therapy is a highly accurate form of radiation therapy, a noninvasive treatment that uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Proton therapy uses positively charged atoms called protons.
Because doctors have tight control over proton beams, they can closely target cancer cells and protect healthy tissues. Learn more about proton therapy.
Benefits of proton radiation for stage 2 testicular cancers
The first treatment for testicular cancer is usually surgery to remove the affected testicle. But if the cancer has spread beyond the testicle, your doctor may recommend radiation.
Stage 2 testicular cancers have spread beyond the testicle to at least one lymph node. Proton therapy is particularly suited for stage 2 testicular cancers because it:
- Reduces long-term testicular cancer treatment side effects: Long-term treatment side effects can appear decades after cancer treatment. Proton therapy delivers lower, more precise doses of radiation while avoiding healthy cells. It can reduce the radiation dose to healthy surrounding tissues by 50 to 70 percent. This precision may lead to fewer or milder long-term side effects, such as the development of a second cancer as you age.
- Lowers radiation exposure: When you get radiation for testicular cancer, doctors direct the radiation beams at lymph nodes in the abdomen (belly) — not the testicles. The treatment area is one of the largest among all cancers treated with radiation. Because it’s so large, there is a risk of radiation exposure to tissues around the belly and pelvis. Proton therapy eliminates this risk.
- Treats affected lymph nodes: Testicular cancer-affected lymph nodes run along the center of the body. The more central the cancer is, the better it is for proton therapy.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.