Signs and Symptoms of Testicular Cancer

In the United States, there are about 10,000 new cases of testicular cancer each year. The average age of diagnosis is 33 years old, and it's the most common cancer in men between the ages of 20 and 40. However, testicular cancer can occur at any age, with about 6% of cases in children and teens, and about 7% in men over 55.

How serious testicular cancer is depends on the type of testicular cancer, how big it is and if it has spread.

The first sign of testicular cancer often is a bump or lump on a testicle. The cancer cells can grow quickly and they often spread outside the testicle to other parts of the body.

Testicular cancer is highly curable when found and treated early, with a cure rate of greater than 95%. 

Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer include:

• A lump or swelling in either testicle
• A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
• A dull ache in the lower belly or groin
• Sudden swelling in the scrotum
• Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum
• Enlargement or tenderness of the tissue
• Back pain

Usually testicular cancer only happens in one testicle.

See your general practitioner if:

• You have a lump or swelling on one or both of your testicles
• One or both of your testicles are getting bigger
• Your scrotum (the skin that covers the testicles) feels heavy, firm or hard
• You have an ache or pain in your scrotum or one or both of your testicles
• You notice a change in one of both of your testicles that is not normal for you