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Specific cancer treatment can involve a multi-modal treatment approach,
which means there may be a combination of various treatments. These
treatments can include surgery, can include radiation therapy, and or
chemotherapy. All of these types of treatments can have certain impacts on
a patient. The surgery can carry certain risks, or potential side effects.
A couple of the side effects that we talk about with a lot of the
treatments for testicular cancer include, effects on fertility, because
*** production in the testicles can be affected through either
chemotherapy. Also the ability to have *** or normal ***
can also be sometimes by some of the surgeries we do to remove lymph nodes
from the abdominal area.
So, all these processes can affect a person's fertility, either following
treatment or during treatment. And this can certainly have an impact on
lifestyle. We often advise our patients upfront prior to undergoing any of
these treatments to bank their ***. We advise patients to preserve their
*** at a *** bank so that they can use it in the future if necessary.
In general the treatments that we have don't usually affect the patients
*** function in the form of erections. But certainly some of the
treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy carry many other
potential side effects that while you're undergoing treatment you could
experience, nausea, vomiting, various other complications. So, it could be
a process to get through some of these treatments.
However, in most cases of testicular cancer, because there's such a high
success rate in treatment. And over a 90 to 95 percent survival rate with
testicular cancer patients, most patients will complete their treatments,
and then go on to live their lives.
Now in that period of time following treatment many patients will get to
their normal lifestyle without too much of a problem.
As all this potential side effect issues resolve, and most patients can
lead a perfectly healthy, and normal life. So, hopefully this is
reassurance to any patients out there that are diagnosed with testicular
cancer. The treatment process can be difficult, but it's very important to
understand that we can get you on with your normal lifestyle following
completion of your treatment protocols.
With cancer patients, following completion of your treatment, there's a
process of what we call surveillance. Over the course of several years,
we're going to be monitoring things for you. And it's very important that
you stick to the monitoring and surveillance protocol which involves
checking testicular tumor markers, doing imaging tests such as chest x-
rays, or abdominal imaging. And this is done to ensure that you don't
develop recurrence of cancer down the road.
No matter what type or what stage you have there's always a risk that
cancer can pop up elsewhere or show up in the future. So, very important
during that process after completion of your treatments, you may feel
reassured in knowing that you're doing great, and you're cured of your
disease which in most cases you are. But there's some risk of recurrence.
So important that during that process afterwards to maintain your close
surveillance with your physician, and keep your follow-up appointments.