Testicular Cancer

Question
My 9 year old male boxer (will be 10 on August 28th) has cancer in his left testicle.  I took him to the vet last Friday for his yearly checkup/shots and the Vet took a look at him and said "by the way he has cancer in his left testicle".  A shock to me as you can imagine....I asked what we should do and he recommends that given his age we should do nothing.  He said there are 3 kinds of cancer in this area and 2 are not too bad and 1 is very bad.  The solution would be to neuter him, however, even doing the biopsy could do more damage than good.  I thought about his recommendation and agreed to do nothing.  I asked what I should watch for and he explained that the one testicle is soft and enlarged and the other is shrunken and hard. What I do not know is how will this affect him now?  Without doing a biopsy how will we know how long he has to live?  Can this spread?  What type of changes should I expect in his behaviour or health?  Can you help answer any of these questions?

Answer
I got this off a web site of a vet:

"Treatment usually consists of surgical neutering. Because of the success of testicular removal and the low rate of metastasis, neutering is often the only treatment needed. Some dogs have been treated successfully with chemotherapy and in dogs that have metastasis chemotherapy is sometimes recommended.

The prognosis for dogs with treated testicular cancer is usually very good. The low rate of metastasis makes surgical neutering very successful and curative in most dogs. Dogs that develop hyperestrogenism from Sertoli cell tumors will often have a regression of signs, once the tumor has been removed. In severe hyperestrogenism that results in anemia, some animals may require transfusions and more aggressive treatment with erythropoietin therapy. The prognosis for testicular tumors that have metastasized is more guarded and the outcome varies widely depending on location, type and treatment.

Easy prevention Testicular cancer is easily prevented, and with good neutering policies could be virtually eliminated from the dog population. Neutering in young dogs prevents aggression, roaming, urine marking and a variety of other unwanted male behaviors. The surgery is safe and relatively inexpensive, and in the long run saves the owner money. Dogs that are used for breeding can be castrated when they are no longer used for breeding. Dogs that are cryptorchid should always be castrated, and the owner should insist that both testicles be removed.

Since cryptorchidism is considered to be an inherited trait, cryptorchid dogs should never be used for breeding purposes. Because the retained testicle is 13 times more likely to develop a tumor, it should always be removed."
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If your vet will not verify "what" cancer it is- or do a biopsy to determine- either get a vet that will, and possible surgical neutering with chemotherapy.

If you really are insecure about it, and I would be as well, go to another vet that is highly recommended, and ask for a second opinion.

I think the surgical neutering is the best solution- or do nothing- but, he can still have a few years left in his life, and doing nothing will either not harm him, or shorten his life. Ask a NEW VET.