April Is The Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
April Is The Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
H&B Uses This Opportunity To Raise Awareness On This Rear, But Deadly Cancer
Testicular Cancer Is, Luckily, Relatively Rare
Testicular Cancer Awareness Month is a crucial part of raising awareness and making an impact on the future of testicular cancer research, prevention, and treatments. April is National Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, and it offers the chance to shine a light on important facts to help people recognize the symptoms and get the important screenings.
Testicular cancer is relatively rare, accounting for only about 1% of all male cancers. Caucasian males are more likely than African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics to develop the disease. But overall, it's the most frequent form of cancer among boys and men between 15 and 35 years old, with an average age at diagnosis of about 33. This year, in the U.S. alone, more than 9,600 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Over the past few decades, the incidence rate has been regularly raising.
As With Most Cancers, Early Diagnosis Can Save Lives
Men who have an undescended testicle are at higher risk of forming testicular cancer than men whose testicles have moved normally down into the scrotum. This is true even if surgery has been implemented early in life to place the testicle in the proper place in the scrotum.
You can’t be sure you have testicular cancer based on symptoms alone, so it’s important to see a doctor about any testicular symptoms that concern you.
The good news is that testicular cancer if caught early, has a very high, 99% five-year survival rate. But the bad news is that, in general, men and boys are far less likely than women and girls to have regular contact with a health care provider. That makes early diagnosis of testicular cancer extremely difficult. As a result, too many cancers aren't diagnosed until it's too late, which helps clarify why cancer mortality rates for men are notably higher than for women.
Education Helps In Prevention
The most effective way to reduce the number of deaths from testicular cancer is to educate boys and young men about the importance of doing regular testicular self-exams and recognizing the symptoms of the disease. A number of high-profile male athletes and celebrities have gone public about their battles with testicular cancer. Early detection is the key. You know your body. Self-examination is easy and takes very little time. Getting to cancer early is still the best way to survive.
The focus of Testicular Cancer Awareness Month is improving public understanding of this disease and increasing the number of men that do self-exams and get regular screenings. As with other cancers, early detection improves the chances of effective treatment and survival. If National Testicular Cancer Awareness Month can improve general awareness of this disease and how to prevent it, it can increase the number of people who catch the disease early.
Known Risk Factors For Testicular Cancer
Having had undescended testicles at birth, or any other abnormal development of the testes, penis, or kidneys
Having a family history of testicular cancer
Having a history of cancer in one testicle
Having an extra X chromosome
Being caucasian
Having an untreated inguinal hernia
Being HIV positive
Early detection is key to improving your chances of eradicating your testicular cancer. Here’s how to reduce your risk of developing testicular cancer in the first place and how to improve your chances of catching it as early as possible.
Signs and Symptoms Of Testicular Cancer
Some of the possible signs and symptoms of testicular cancer include:
Lump or swelling in a testicle
Feeling of heaviness or pain in the belly or scrotum
Growth of hair on face and body at a too young age
Breast growth, tender or swollen breasts
Loss of sex drive
Men and boys who experience any of these signs or symptoms should advise their healthcare providers.
Take Your Screenings
Most doctors agree that an exam of a man’s testicles should be part of his general physical exam, and Dr. Shyamali Singhal, surgical oncologist and founder of H&B, advises men to take a testicular exam as part of a routine cancer-related checkup, even if regular self-exams of the testicles have not been studied enough so far to show that the practice lowers the death rate from this cancer.