Diagnosis elusive

[dadmo]

Gary:
From the path report it seems unlikely that they will find any spread but that needs to be confirmed with the scans and xrays. If you are indeed stage I surveillance is a great option.

[Fed]

My understanding is that the pathology report discusses the physical spread of the tumor itself (invasion) but the CT scans are also needed to check for distant tumors due to cancer cells that may have spread through some other avenue? Are the odds of spread lower with the early stage and it being seminoma?

For the most part, you are correct. The pathology serves as a description of your primary tumor from which any potential metastases arise. The CT scan will look for the mets themselves. Your assessment about seminoma is also accurate. The odds of seminoma having spread when caught early are low, primarily because seminoma divides and grows very slowly. The only drawback is that because of its slow growth and spread, the window for a relapse is larger (5 years). With stage I seminoma, your chances of having been cured by the orchiectomy alone are 80-85%.

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with the medical system. I am glad to hear, though, that you are being persistent with this, particularly since you will need to be under the care of an oncologist for your surveillance.