Teenager with shortness of breath and hypoxia
In addition to the signs and symptoms that brought this teen to our ED, there was one important detail that he failed to initially mention.
Successful treatment hinges on early detection
Treatment for testicular cancer often is successful if the condition is localized.
The choice of treatment depends on tumor type and stage. Options include orchiectomy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, chemotherapy, and radiation.2-5 After being diagnosed with testicular cancer 95% of patients live for 5 or more years.6 For localized testicular cancer, the 5-year survival rate is 99%.6
An eye toward prevention. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening with clinical examination or testicular self examination7; however, some clinicians support regular screening and self examinations.
When silence is deadly
Although physicians expect that patients will disclose obvious physical manifestations of disease, we know that this is not always the case. Patients often have barriers to care, including their own reluctance to share certain types of information with a provider.
Our patient. After we diagnosed metastatic testicular cancer in our patient, he was transferred to the medical intensive care unit. His overall clinical status declined and he died 14 days later.
