If testicular cancer spreads

Cancer cells can spread from the testicle to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. If testicular cancer spreads, it can spread to the following:

  • lymph nodes in the back of the abdomen (called retroperitoneal lymph nodes)
  • lymph nodes around the main blood vessel in the body (called para-aortic lymph nodes)
  • distant lymph nodes in the pelvis, mediastinum or base of the neck
  • lungs
  • liver
  • bones
  • brain

Expert review and references

  • American Society of Clinical Oncology . Testicular Cancer: Stages . 2017 : https://www.cancer.net/.
  • Carver BS, Feldman DR . Staging of Testicular Cancer. Scardino PT, Lineham WM, Zelefsky MJ & Vogelzang NJ (eds.). Comprehensive Textbook of Genitourinary Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011: 32:544-557.
  • National Cancer Institute . Testicular Cancer Treatment (PDQ®) – Health Professional Version . Bethesda, MD : National Cancer Institute ; 2018 : https://www.cancer.gov/.
  • Pagliaro LC and Logothetis CJ . Cancer of the testis. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, & Rosenberg SA. Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2015: 70:988-1004.