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Criteria for Orchiectomy
There are certain published criteria from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) that is used as a framework to guide health care professionals in approving or denying an Orchiectomy. When a transgender person wants to complete and orchiectomy, they are in a state of gender incongruence and they must meet the criteria before having the procedure done. The criteria are as follows: " persistent, documented gender dysphoria, (ii) capacity to make informed decisions and consent to treatment, (iii) well-controlled medical or mental health comorbidities, and (iv) the use of hormone therapy for 12 months." Additionally, persons wishing to go through with the procedure are required to obtain referrals from two independent qualified mental health professionals. This referral should include " the individual's demographic information, psychosocial assessment results, duration of the therapeutic relationship, type of evaluation and therapy performed, if the criteria for surgery have been met and if informed consent has been obtained from the patient."

Orchiectomy as Diagnosis and Treatment for Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer most commonly occurs in males ages 15 to 34. In 2017, there were 8,850 new cases and 410 deaths in the United States. An orchiectomy is used not only as a treatment option, but as well as a diagnostic tool for testicular cancer. However, before an orchiectomy is deemed necessary, liver function tests, tumor markers, and various blood panels will be taken to confirm testicular cancer. Tumor markers that may be checked include, beta human chorionic gonadotropin, lactate dehydrogenase, and or alpha fetoprotein. These markers are again rechecked after an orchiectomy procedure to stage the testicular cancer, since testicular cancer is normally staged after an orchiectomy. Furthermore, a chest radiography and an abdominal/pelvic CT (computed tomography) is typically completed after an orchiectomy. These tests will look for any metastasis, which is defined as "[t]he spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body. In metastasis, cancer cells break away from the original (primary) tumor, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form a new tumor in other organs or tissues of the body." An inguinal orchiectomy is the primary treatment for any cancerous tumor that is found in the testicles. Unfortunately, the testis are not usually spared because it is not recommended, but testis-sparing surgery may be performed for smaller tumors in one testis, or even small tumors in both.

Orchiectomy for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer, if non-metastatic, is commonly treated with radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy. After the completion of radiation therapy, prostate specific antigen is measured. Any increase in prostate specific antigen levels indicate renewed tumor activity. If tumor activity is found after radiation therapy, the person that underwent radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy must be seen by a specialist. Prostate cancer grows in the presence of testosterone. When testosterone is present, " it is metabolized and converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which stimulates the growth of prostate cells. This leads to normal prostate growth in adolescents but contributes to abnormal cell growth in older men." Reducing the amount of testosterone in a person is one way in which prostate cancer is treated. If the prostate cancer is in fact metastatic, then orchiectomy may be used "...to abolish the stimulation of cancer cells by inhibiting testicular testosterone production and thereby reducing androgen levels in the blood: so-called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)." Castration or orchiectomy is a suitable option for androgen deprivation therapy, and it should be used if a very quick reduction in testosterone levels is needed. However in recent years, orchiectomy is not commonly used since medical castration is a viable option. Medical castration means that drugs or medications are used to suppress the production of androgens such as testosterone. Some examples of medications used in medical castration include, euprolide, goserelin (Zoladex), buserelin, triptorelin (Trelstar). Some of the side effects of these medications include but are not limited to "Reduced sexual desire and libido, Impotence,Reduced size of testes and penis, hot flashes, growth of breast tissue (gynaecomastia) and pain across the breasts, thinning of the bones or osteoporosis and risk of fracture, anemia, loss of muscle mass, weight gain, fatigue and memory problems, and depression."