Treatment Overview
Radiation therapy uses high-dose
X-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer
cells. Radiation therapy may be used after surgery to keep testicular cancer
from coming back. Sometimes radiation therapy is used to treat testicular
cancer that has come back.
The type of radiation used to treat
testicular cancer is called external beam radiation. The radiation comes from a
machine with a high-energy beam aimed at the
lymph nodes in your belly and pelvic area.
The dose of radiation and the number of treatments will depend on the
type and stage of your cancer. Radiation therapy also is used to treat advanced
testicular cancer.
What To Expect After Treatment
Radiation therapy for testicular cancer
often causes you to feel weak and a little tired (mild fatigue). Some people
have problems with nausea and vomiting or with diarrhea. If you have problems
with nausea or vomiting, there are medicines that can help. And if you have
diarrhea, you can do some things to help reduce your symptoms. For more
information, see:
Some people have long-term side effects after radiation
therapy, such as
infertility, heart disease, or another cancer.
Why It Is Done
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells.
In men with early-stage seminoma cancer, radiation therapy is commonly used
after surgery to prevent testicular cancer from coming back.
Radiation therapy also may be a choice for older men and for men who
cannot have chemotherapy.
How Well It Works
Radiation therapy works very well with
seminoma tumors. Nonseminoma tumors do not respond as well to radiation
therapy, so they are usually treated in other ways.
Radiation
therapy almost always keeps seminoma testicular cancer from coming back. Having
radiation therapy after surgery keeps stage I seminoma cancer from coming back
in 96 out of 100 men.1 Chemotherapy and watchful
waiting have similar results. But radiation therapy is recommended most often
for early-stage seminoma cancer.
Risks
Radiation therapy for testicular cancer may affect
your red blood cells. And it could cause mild
anemia. You also may have other side effects from
radiation.
Short-term side effects may
include:
- Tiredness (mild fatigue).
- Nausea
and vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
Home treatment and medicine may help relieve fatigue,
nausea and vomiting, or diarrhea. For more information on home treatments, see
the What to Expect After the Treatment section of this topic.
Long-term side effects may include:
- Infertility.
- Cancer, either in the
remaining testicle or another type of cancer.
- Heart disease, such as heart attack.
Treatments now use lower doses of radiation. And there are
new ways to protect your organs during radiation.
What To Think About
Treatment for testicular cancer can
affect fertility. Men who may want to have children can save their sperm in a
sperm bank. It's a good idea, if possible, to save sperm before having X-rays
to check for cancer. This will prevent radiation damage to the sperm.
External radiation may cause the skin in the treated area to look tanned
for the weeks after radiation. This change in color may be permanent.
Complete the special treatment information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this treatment.
References
Citations
- Bosl GJ, et al. (2008). Cancer of the testis. In VT
DeVita et al., eds., DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 8th ed., vol. 1, pp. 1463–1485.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Bosl GJ, et al. (2008). Cancer of the testis. In VT
DeVita et al., eds., DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 8th ed., vol. 1, pp. 1463–1485.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.