What investigations will the urologist perform if he thinks you may have testicular cancer?

The urologist will first perform an ultrasound examination of the testicle. This simple, painless examination is able to detect testicular cancer with a relatively high degree of certainty.

He should also do a blood test to test for substances called tumour markers (alpha-fetoprotein, beta-HCG and LDH). Levels of these substances can be raised in some malignant testicular cancers. These markers help to stage the cancer, help with treatment planning and are useful for checking the progress of treatment.

The urologist will first perform an ultrasound examination of the testicle. This simple, painless examination is able to detect testicular cancer with a relatively high degree of certainty.