Testicular cancer is a rare form of cancer when compared to others and is most common between the ages of 15 and 35. It occurs in the testicles (testes) that are located inside the scrotum and produce male hormones and sperm for reproduction. This disease is highly treatable even when cancer has spread beyond the testicles. One is treated in accordance with the type and stage of cancer so as to give relief faster. Hence, you may be treated with several treatments or a combination of them.

Stages:
Doctors assign the stages of cancer by combining the T, N, and M classifications and the S level information. Here, T describes the size and location of the tumor, N stands for lymph nodes, M here indicates whether the cancerous cells have spread to other parts of the body (called distant metastasis). S stands for serum tumor markers. These are assigned after blood tests which help in the marking of the serum and are done before, during, and after the treatment.

• Stage 0: It refers to carcinoma in situ, also known as intratubular germ cell neoplasia.
• Stage I: In this stage, the cancer is at any T level and there is no evidence of spread to either lymph nodes or other organs.
• Stage IA: The cancer is only in the testicle. It is possible that it has grown into the other testis but it has definitely not grown into the epididymis, hilar soft tissue, or lymphatic or any blood vessels in the testis.
• Stage IB: In this stage, the tumor has grown into the epididymis, hilar soft tissue, tunica vaginalis, and also the blood or lymphatic vessels within the testicle, spermatic cord and also the scrotum.
• Stage IS: In this, the testicular cancer is in any of the T stages and has not spread to the distant sites and also the lymph nodes.
• Stage II: Cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes or distant sites.
• Stage IIA: Cancer has spread to retroperitoneal lymph nodes but no tumor is larger than 2 cm in length. It is also referred to as clinical or pathological stage N1.
• Stage IIB: In this stage, cancer has spread to retroperitoneal lymph nodes but it has gotten larger and is approximately 2-5 cm.
• Stage IIC: It has spread to at least one of the lymph nodes and has grown larger than 5 cm.
• Stage III: In this stage, cancer has spread to distant lymph nodes or to any organ.
• Stage IIIA: Cancer has metastasized to distant lymph nodes and/or the lungs.
• Stage IIIB: In this stage, the testicular cancer has spread to lymph nodes and the lungs but not to any other organ.
• Stage IIIC: Cancer has spread to at least one lymph node or organ. The serum marker is extremely high. Cancer may also have spread to any organ other than the lungs.