Signs and symptoms of adult testicular tumours.

Seven per cent of the testicular tumour population of 292 men gave a history of undescended testes, an incidence figure not effected by orchidopexy. The main feature of seminomas (140 patients, median age 44.2 years) was testicular swelling whereas local pain and back pain prevailed in patients with non-seminomatous tumours (152 men, median age 29.8 years), although they had a shorter history. In about 25 per cent of cases, the examining physician made an erroneous diagnosis, by confusing the lesion with epididymitis, hydrocele or torsion. The first presenting feature in 16 patients was attributed to metastases and in 5 cases the testicular mass was found incidentally during routine physical examination.