Orchiectomy by itself has a very low rate of morbidity and mortality. Patients who are having an orchiectomy as part of cancer therapy have a higher risk of dying from the cancer than from testicular surgery.
Most prostate cancer patients, however, report rapid relief from cancer symptoms after an orchiectomy.
An orchiectomy is sometimes done to prevent cancer when an undescended testicle is found in a patient who is beyond the age of puberty.
An additional risk specific to cancer patients is recurrence of the cancer.
Normal results depend on the location and stage of the patient's cancer at the time of surgery.
Patients who are having an orchiectomy as treatment for testicular cancer should consider banking sperm if they plan to have children following surgery.
A subcapsular orchiectomy is also performed for treatment of prostate cancer.
How effective is an orchiectomy in preventing recurrence of my cancer?What side effects am I most likely to experience?How many orchiectomies have you performed?Can you recommend a local men's network or support group?
A simple orchiectomy is performed as part of gender reassignment surgery or as palliative treatment for advanced cancer of the prostate.
There is no effective alternative to radical orchiectomy in the treatment of testicular cancer; radiation and chemotherapy are considered follow-up treatments rather than alternatives.
An orchiectomy is done to treat cancer or, for other reasons, to lower the level of testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, in the body.
It is a medical procedure to remove testicles, commonly done to treat cancer or lower testosterone levels.
Orchiectomy performed as part of cancer therapy may be done in a hospital under general anesthesia, but is most often done as an outpatient procedure in a urology clinic or similar facility.