Staging tells how far the cancer has spread. The staging system of testicular cancer contains four key pieces of information:

• T refers to how much the primary tumor has spread to tissues next to the testicle.
• N describes how much the cancer has spread to regional (nearby) lymph nodes.
• M indicates whether the cancer has metastasized (spread to nonregional [distant] lymph nodes or other organs of the body).
• S is a special classification used only for testicular cancers. It indicates the serum levels of certain proteins (tumor markers) that are produced by some testicular cancers.