Testicular cancer (Cancer of the Testicle) : Testicular cancer is cancer that starts in the testicles, the male reproductive glands located in the scrotum.
Causes
The exact cause of testicular cancer is unknown. There is no link between vasectomy and testicular cancer. Factors that may increase a man's risk for testicular cancer include:
• Abnormal testicle development
• History of testicular cancer
• History of undescended testicle
• Klinefelter syndrome
Symptoms
Symptoms that may occur can include:
• Discomfort or pain in the testicle, or a feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
• Pain in the back or lower abdomen
• Enlargement of a testicle or a change in the way it feels
• Excess development of breast tissue (gynecomastia), however, this can occur normally in adolescent boys who do not have testicular cancer
• Lump or swelling in either testicle
Symptoms in other parts of the body, such as the lungs, abdomen, pelvis, back, or brain, may also occur if the cancer has spread.
Treatment
The three basic types of treatment are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
Wilms' Tumor (Nephroblastoma ) : Wilms' tumor is a rare type of kidney cancer. It causes a tumor on one or both kidneys. It usually affects children, but can happen in adults. Having certain genetic conditions or birth defects can increase the risk of getting it. Children that are at risk should be screened for Wilms' tumor every three months until they turn eight.
Symptoms
Symptoms include a lump in the abdomen, blood in the urine, and a fever for no reason. Tests that examine the kidney and blood are used to find the tumor.
Treatment
Treatment will depend on a number of factors including how the cells appear under the microscope (histology) and the stage of the tumour. Other treatments include chemotherapy and radiation and biologic therapies. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer.
Ewing’s sarcoma : Ewing's sarcoma is a malignant (cancerous) bone tumor that affects children. Ewing's sarcoma can occur any time during childhood and young adulthood, but usually develops during puberty, when bones are growing rapidly. The tumor may start anywhere in the body, usually in the long bones of the arms and legs, the pelvis, or the chest. It may also develop in the skull or the flat bones of the trunk. The tumor often spreads (metastasis) to the lungs and other bones. Spread at the time of diagnosis is seen in about one-third of children with Ewing's sarcoma. Rarely, Ewing's sarcoma can occur in adults.
Symptoms
• There are few symptoms. The most common is pain and occasionally swelling at the site of the tumor.
• Children may also break a bone at the site of the tumor after a seemingly minor injury (this is called a "pathologic fracture").
• Fever may also be present.
Treatment
Treatment should be done by a cancer specialist (oncologist) and often includes a combination of:
• Chemotherapy
o Cyclophosphamide
o Doxorubicin
o Etoposide
o Ifosfamide
o Vincristine
• Radiation therapy
• Surgical to remove the primary tumor