The Tumor Was Near His Aorta, Not His Testicles

Attend the 2026 Testicular Cancer Conference: https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/tcc-indianapolis-2026

At just 24, personal trainer Andrejs Lejietis was building a business and living what he thought was a healthy, active life in Stockholm, Sweden — until a strange abdominal pain that kept returning after lunch led to one of the most confusing diagnoses in testicular cancer. In this episode of It Takes Balls, our first-ever Swedish guest shares a remarkable story about an extragonadal germ cell tumor: testicular cancer with no primary tumor in the testicles at all.

Andrejs describes months of uncertainty as recurring pain near his aorta sent him from ultrasound to CT scan to a bone marrow biopsy, with doctors ruling out lymphoma before finally landing on a testicular cancer diagnosis. Encouraged by his girlfriend Emily to stop putting it off, he learned the value of self-advocacy the hard way — and discovered that a "good cancer to have" still hits hard when you're 24 with corporate clients lined up and a future you'd just started building.

He opens up about four rounds of BEP chemotherapy at Karolinska University Hospital, an initial AFP tumor marker of 21,000, and stage 2C disease. Andrejs shares the realities of inpatient chemo, losing his hair, sperm banking and stem cell harvesting before treatment, and the unexpected gift of community — meeting other young men going through testicular cancer treatment at the same time.

The conversation also covers his open RPLND (retroperitoneal lymph node dissection), a surgery Sweden has centralized to two hospitals for the best outcomes. Andrejs recounts a tumor wrapped around a vein near his left kidney, a difficult six-week recovery, neuropathy, retrograde ejaculation, and being discharged on Christmas Eve. Fourteen lymph nodes were removed — all clear.

Andrejs and host Steven Crocker also dig into the Scandinavian healthcare system, where treatment, surgery, sperm banking, and even taxis to chemo are largely covered by taxes — and how testicular cancer, one of the most common cancers among young men, is treated across Europe.

Now cancer-free and back to work, Andrejs reflects on how the journey reshaped his path toward becoming a physical therapist, the scar he wears with pride, and his advice for anyone newly diagnosed: take it one day at a time, stay as physically active as you can, and don't wait to get checked.

Whether you're a testicular cancer patient, survivor, caregiver, or want to understand rare presentations like extragonadal germ cell tumors, Andrejs's story is a powerful reminder that early detection saves lives — and that you should never ignore symptoms that keep coming back.

Provide your feedback on the podcast:https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/itbsurvey

Join The Ball Room:https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/theballroom

Want to be a guest? Apply here: https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/it-takes-balls-submissions

Connect with Andrejs:https://www.instagram.com/stepsforimprovement

Follow Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation:

⁠https://www.testescancer.org

https://www.x.com/testescancer

⁠https://www.instagram.com/testescancer

https://www.facebook.com/tca.org

Follow Steven Crocker:

https://www.instagram.com/stevencrocker

https://www.facebook.com/steven.crocker2

Theme song: No Time Like Now - Tom Willner http://www.tomwillner.com