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greetings and strength to all. it sucks to even be here, but makes me feel stronger if you can all deal with this too.
i had a skin infection, the doc felt my testicle and said it felt small and i should have it examined. i got an ultrasound and it turned out to be small or atrophic - but meanwhile, the other testicle had a mass in it.
we watched it for 3 mos., negative tumor markers, and when it grew, did a partial orchiectomy (testis sparing surgery) on feb 7 2007. it was classic seminoma. no l/v invasion. maybe some rete teste invasion. tumor size around 3.5 cm.
the problem is, the bed biopsies had frank tumor in them. although the surgeon burnt the area, therefore, there is probably still tumor inside me. ct scan was clear and chest x ray normal.
so here we go, what to do next.
most all the docs i have consulted say orchiectomy, then surveillance. no one seems to ever have radiated just one testicle before. i am asking them why not do two courses of carboplatin and not do the orchiectomy, and do surveillance, monthly ultrasounds the first year, etc. - then do the orch. if anything grows.
my main doctor, who is very conservative, thinks we can "get away with that" but would be most comfortable with the orchiectomy.
no one seems to know or want to bet if carboplatin can kill frank tumor in the testis. it seems to do so in the retroperitoneum, and may work on CIS in the testes. but the safest thing to do seems to be orchiectomy.
again, my "good" testicle is atrophic. i banked sperm already. my testosterone was 630 pre op (normal scale 245 to 1000) and is now 362 post op. i guess i can assume i would be on testosterone replacement therapy postop.
what would you guys do?? i think i would be as scared of recurrence having just done the carboplatin and no orch. as i would be with the orchiectomy and just surveillance after.
i am stumped, all these doctors are brilliant, but they don't have a lot to add.
my best, roberto
i had a skin infection, the doc felt my testicle and said it felt small and i should have it examined. i got an ultrasound and it turned out to be small or atrophic - but meanwhile, the other testicle had a mass in it.
we watched it for 3 mos., negative tumor markers, and when it grew, did a partial orchiectomy (testis sparing surgery) on feb 7 2007. it was classic seminoma. no l/v invasion. maybe some rete teste invasion. tumor size around 3.5 cm.
the problem is, the bed biopsies had frank tumor in them. although the surgeon burnt the area, therefore, there is probably still tumor inside me. ct scan was clear and chest x ray normal.
so here we go, what to do next.
most all the docs i have consulted say orchiectomy, then surveillance. no one seems to ever have radiated just one testicle before. i am asking them why not do two courses of carboplatin and not do the orchiectomy, and do surveillance, monthly ultrasounds the first year, etc. - then do the orch. if anything grows.
my main doctor, who is very conservative, thinks we can "get away with that" but would be most comfortable with the orchiectomy.
no one seems to know or want to bet if carboplatin can kill frank tumor in the testis. it seems to do so in the retroperitoneum, and may work on CIS in the testes. but the safest thing to do seems to be orchiectomy.
again, my "good" testicle is atrophic. i banked sperm already. my testosterone was 630 pre op (normal scale 245 to 1000) and is now 362 post op. i guess i can assume i would be on testosterone replacement therapy postop.
what would you guys do?? i think i would be as scared of recurrence having just done the carboplatin and no orch. as i would be with the orchiectomy and just surveillance after.
i am stumped, all these doctors are brilliant, but they don't have a lot to add.
my best, roberto
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