Testicular cancer is an uncommon cancer and of the estimated 7,920 new cases diagnosed in 2013, 370 will result in death.
It is most common in young or middle-aged males and rarely occurs in older males. Ninety-five percent of these cancers originate in sperm-producing germ cells. There are two different subclasses of testicular cancer, namely nonseminoma and seminoma. Nonseminoma testicular cancers, such as embryonal carcinomas, yolk sac carcinomas, choriocarcinomas, and teratomas usually affect younger-aged males, whereas seminoma testicular cancers often occur in older males. It is unclear why testicular cancer is rare in older men, but because it is so unusual in older men, the diagnosis is frequently overlooked when presenting with signs suggestive of testicular carcinoma. A 75-year-old male recently presented with signs and symptoms classically descriptive of testicular cancer. The patient was treated with an orchiectomy. The pathologic evaluation of the excised testicle confirmed the diagnosis of a seminoma. This report is an account of the case from initial visit to treatment and a discussion of its relevance.
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Devanney JF, Devanney JR. Are you the author?
Reference: Conn Med. 2014 Jun-Jul;78(6):353-4.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25672063