University of Iowa Health Science Relations and
Michael O’Donnell, MD
Associate Professor of Urology
First Published: 2000
Last Revised: September 2004
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed

Men--what would you do if you found a lump in one of your testicles? Hope that it will go away? Or contact your physician immediately?

The answer is, of course, to contact your physician.

If there is any suspicious lump in a testicle, you should not wait to see if it goes away, advises Dr. Michael O'Donnell, a urology specialist in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. If the lump is cancerous, within a very short time the disease may spread rapidly to other parts of your body, the UI physician warns.

Twenty-five years ago testicular cancer was incurable, but today, if discovered at an early stage it is usually curable, O'Donnell says.

A self-examination is the best way to detect testicular cancer in early stages.

You should examine your testicles at least once a month, searching for any abnormal lump, the UI physician suggests. Some testicular lumps may be perfectly normal. So if you are not sure what abnormal means, have your physician teach you, O'Donnell says.

Cancerous lumps may be any size, even smaller than a pea. And they usually do not hurt. So, don't be fooled by what seems to be a small, painless lump. That seemingly insignificant lump may be dangerous, O'Donnell stresses.

Testicular cancer usually occurs in men between the ages of 20-35. Why this type of cancer is more apt to occur during these years is unknown, but it may have something to do with hormonal activity, the physician notes.

The cancer also is more prevalent in a testicle that was not in the scrotum at birth, that is, "undescended."

"If a testicle is not in its normal location at birth, and if it is not brought into the scrotum through surgery, it has a greater chance of later developing a malignancy," the Ul physician says.

If a parent has a child whose testicle does not seem to be in the right place, a check with the physician is a good idea, O'Donnell advises.

In addition to monthly self-examinations, O'Donnell also recommends that testicles be examined once a year by a physician.