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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Medical Specialists > Oncology (General Cancer) > Convinced its testicular cancer
Expert: Doug Bank - 11/11/2009
Question
I am a 30 year old male. Age 11 i had an operation to bring down an undescended testicle. 21 months ago i felt a lump in the same testicle and developed a dull ache. I already had epidydmal cysts in that testicle (diagnosed by previous ultrasound) but this lump felt different and new. Since then i have had 3 ultrasounds and tumor markers - all of which are negative. But now i have started having headaches and stomach aches. The lump doesnt appear to have increased in size and the dull ache has not got any worse. My doctor thinks i have convinced myself that i have cancer and the headaches and stomach aches are by products of that. I work in the scientific field so have some medical knowledge. Surely 3 negative ultrasounds means i should be in the clear...but what is causing the dull ache/headaches/stomach aches? thanks!
Answer
Michael,
neither headaches or stomach aches are typical symptoms of testicular cancer, so it is entirely possible that they are psychosomatic. I think you have to assume you do not have testicular cancer after all those tests. Unfortunately, just because I say it is not cancer does not mean I know what it is. Some men have pain down there for no discernable reason. I think your best bet is to ask the urologist, if it isn't cancer, what is causing the pain and/or can something be done to control it. If you focus on cancer, so does the doctor and they lose sight of the problem - in this case the pain in your testicle.
Could it be cancer? I think the ultrasound is one of the best tests there is to identify testicular cancer. I don't know many people - maybe one - who had a false negative ultrasound. You've had it done 3 times, so there must not be anything there. Are you sure it is not something else like a hernia or varicocele?
Doug
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