Bumps on Scrotum: What Are They?

Hide Video Transcript

Video Transcript

Narrator
Could these bumps on my scrotum be cancer?

Sheldon Marks, MD
Some men have little bumps on their scrotum, and they're concerned. What is this? Could it be cancer? First of all, any time you want to know could something be cancer, you need to see a doctor. You can't guess. You can't assume. An online expert can't tell you what it is. What they can tell you is in their experience what they think it might be. But until a doctor actually examines you and looks at that lump or bump, there's no way to know. So especially with testicular or scrotal irregularities, if somebody says to me, I've got a lump down there, what is it? You have to see a doctor. I can tell you what it probably is or what it isn't, but you have to see a doctor. Because sometimes testicular cancers can manifest exactly as they should. Sometimes it's not that way. Sometimes it's a funny little ache, or it's a little bit of fullness, or it's a little bump. So some men have scrotal bumps. They're usually cysts. What we tell men is if you've had it your whole life and it hasn't changed, chances are it's not bad. If it's changing, like a cyst might, where it fills up and then drains and empties, those need to be seen because they can be removed. Testicular lumps are different. They need to be examined, often with a testicular ultrasound, almost always by a urologist who's skilled and experienced in understanding the subtle little lumps and bumps within the scrotum of the testicles and surrounding organs.