Testicular cancer
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Testicular cancer
Reproductive system
Male and female reproductive system disorders
Precocious puberty
Delayed puberty
Klinefelter syndrome
Turner syndrome
Androgen insensitivity syndrome
5-alpha-reductase deficiency
Kallmann syndrome
Male reproductive system disorders
Hypospadias and epispadias
Bladder exstrophy
Priapism
Penile cancer
Prostatitis
Benign prostatic hyperplasia
Prostate cancer
Cryptorchidism
Inguinal hernia
Varicocele
Epididymitis
Orchitis
Testicular torsion
Testicular cancer
Erectile dysfunction
Male hypoactive sexual desire disorder
Female reproductive system disorders
Amenorrhea
Ovarian cyst
Premature ovarian failure
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Ovarian torsion
Krukenberg tumor
Sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor
Surface epithelial-stromal tumor
Germ cell ovarian tumor
Uterine fibroid
Endometriosis
Endometritis
Endometrial hyperplasia
Endometrial cancer
Choriocarcinoma
Cervical cancer
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Urethritis
Female sexual interest and arousal disorder
Orgasmic dysfunction
Genito-pelvic pain and penetration disorder
Mastitis
Fibrocystic breast changes
Intraductal papilloma
Phyllodes tumor
Paget disease of the breast
Breast cancer
Hyperemesis gravidarum
Gestational hypertension
Preeclampsia & eclampsia
Gestational diabetes
Cervical incompetence
Placenta previa
Placenta accreta
Placental abruption
Oligohydramnios
Polyhydramnios
Potter sequence
Intrauterine growth restriction
Preterm labor
Postpartum hemorrhage
Chorioamnionitis
Congenital toxoplasmosis
Congenital cytomegalovirus (NORD)
Congenital syphilis
Neonatal conjunctivitis
Neonatal herpes simplex
Congenital rubella syndrome
Neonatal sepsis
Neonatal meningitis
Miscarriage
Gestational trophoblastic disease
Ectopic pregnancy
Fetal hydantoin syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Reproductive system pathology review
Disorders of sex chromosomes: Pathology review
Prostate disorders and cancer: Pathology review
Testicular tumors: Pathology review
Uterine disorders: Pathology review
Ovarian cysts and tumors: Pathology review
Cervical cancer: Pathology review
Vaginal and vulvar disorders: Pathology review
Benign breast conditions: Pathology review
Breast cancer: Pathology review
Complications during pregnancy: Pathology review
Congenital TORCH infections: Pathology review
Disorders of sexual development and sex hormones: Pathology review
Amenorrhea: Pathology Review
Testicular and scrotal conditions: Pathology review
Sexually transmitted infections: Warts and ulcers: Pathology review
Sexually transmitted infections: Vaginitis and cervicitis: Pathology review
HIV and AIDS: Pathology review
Penile conditions: Pathology review
Assessments
Testicular cancer
USMLE® Step 1 questions
0 / 8 complete
High Yield Notes
7 pages
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USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
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Which of the serum markers was most likely elevated prior to orchiectomy?
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Transcript
Content Reviewers
Yifan Xiao, MDContributors
Evan Debevec-McKenney
Zachary Kevorkian, MSMI
Testicular cancers are malignant tumors that form in one or both testes. They usually present as a mass that’s often detected in the early stages since they are on an organ that’s easily accessible during physical examination. Thus, they typically have a good prognosis.
The testes are a pair of male reproductive glands the size of small plums, that are located in the scrotum. The testes themselves are covered on the outside by the tunica albuginea, a white, fibrous layer.
If we slice a testis open and look inside, sorry for the cringe moment, we can see septa that partition each testis into lobules. Each lobule contains up to four seminiferous tubules, where sperm is synthesized.
Now let’s zoom in on a single seminiferous tubule, which is the “sperm factory”. A seminiferous tubule has a thick wall of epithelial cells that surround a fluid-filled lumen, a bit like a garden hose.
The wall of the tubule is made up of two kinds of cells: at the periphery, there’s the germ cells known as spermatogonia, which are the primordial sperm cells that begin dividing over and over in puberty, and give rise to male gametes.
Next to them are Sertoli cells which are large cells that extend from the margin all the way to the lumen of the tubule. Sertoli cells are supportive cells that provide nutrients to developing sperm cells, and contribute to the blood-testis barrier by only allowing certain molecules, like testosterone, into the seminiferous tubules.
Outside the tubule, there’s connective tissue with capillaries, as well as Leydig cells - another supportive cell which produces testosterone, which is a hormone necessary for the proper development of sperm.
Summary
Testicular cancers are malignant tumors that form in one or both testes. They usually present as a mass that's often detected in the early stages. Major types of testicular cancer include germ-cell testicular cancer and non-germ-cell testicular cancer. Germ cell testicular cancers come from germ cells that normally develop into sperm.
Their five main subtypes include seminomas, teratomas, yolk sac tumors or endodermal sinus tumors, choriocarcinoma or placental tissue tumors, and embryonal carcinomas. Non-germ cell testicular cancers come from the Sertoli cells or the Leydig cells which can secrete excess sex hormones. Risk factors for developing testicular cancer include cryptorchidism, Klinefelter syndrome, and in-utero exposure to pesticides and synthetic sex hormones. Treatment of testicular cancer involves surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
Sources
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- "CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2020" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2019)
- "Yen & Jaffe's Reproductive Endocrinology" Saunders W.B. (2018)
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- "Robbins Basic Pathology" Elsevier (2017)
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- "Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 310 diseases and injuries, 1990–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015" The Lancet (2016)
- "Aetiology of testicular cancer: association with congenital abnormalities, age at puberty, infertility, and exercise" BMJ (1994)
- "The treatment of metastatic germ-cell testicular tumours with bleomycin, etoposide and cis-platin (BEP)" British Journal of Cancer (1983)
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