Concern about Testicular Cancer

Posted by Fiaz Sulaiman on May 01, 1999 at 21:54:39
I have been having some discomfort in my right testicle for the past six months. I have seen my general physician, an urologist how felt my testicle & the third doctor who send me for an ultrasound & did not find anything wrong. Since the discomfort  in he testicle & some pain in my thy & hips has not gone I am concern. I have felt my testicle & do not find any lamps on them, I do feel a very small lump on my tube like structure behind my right testicle. The pain increases when I am seated or driving my car . Please be kind enough to advice.
Posted by HFHS M.D.-BE on May 05, 1999 at 13:58:56

========================================
Dear Fiaz,
It is good that you consulted your physician about this problem, and that you had a testicular exam and ultrasound study.  You do not mention, however, if the small lump you feel behind your right testicle was present before you consulted with these physicians or if it is a recent finding.  Of course, any time a man finds a lump of any size on his testicle, he needs to see a urologist for a full evaluation.  The lump on the tube like structure, as you have described it, may be a spermatocele, which is a cyst on the epididymis (the area of the testicle where sperm maturation occurs) filled with fluid and sperm.  This could cause pain and discomfort of varying degrees, depending on the individual affected.  Other causes for scrotal and testicular pain include trauma, torsion, inflammation, varicocele, hydrocele, and testicular tumors.  Since you have already had an ultrasound, this study would have been able to rule out any of the above mentioned causes.  You mention that the urologist did a testicular exam; however, you need to follow up with a complete urologic exam that would include the prostate.  Sometimes pain could be referred from other areas where the actual problem is located, this is why it is important with unremitting pain to get a complete evaluation.  Your urologist can also order any tests that could be helpful in making a diagnosis.  
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only.  Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition.  More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its satellites (1 800 653-6568).
Sincerely,
HFHS M.D.-BE
*keyword: testicular pain