Screening: Most young men are not screened for testicular cancer

T thyroid cancer does not get as much attention as, for example, prostate cancer, as do male-focused disease awareness campaigns. This is understandable, given some basic facts: The disease is rare, accounting for about 0.05 percent of all new cancer cases in men, and many patients have positive results after surgery and/or cancer treatment. Chemotherapy. But these facts do not tell the whole story. Testicular cancer is also the most common type of cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 44, and many don’t get screened for what appears to be one of the easiest cancers to detect early.

A recent survey by the CACTI (Testicular Cancer International Advocacy) group found that about 45 percent of men rarely or never tested themselves for testicular cancer. Nearly half of the men were unaware of the importance of self-testing or did not take the idea of ​​testing seriously. The data is particularly troubling given how important a simple and regular examination of the testicles is to detect a mass or other suspicious changes, and possibly to help improve treatment outcomes by detecting disease early. “It can be detected if someone does a self-exam,” says Farshid Sadeghi, MD, a urological oncologist at Phoenix Hospital. “But it may be difficult to detect, or it can be detected late if young people do not control themselves.”

A survey of more than 1,000 men found:

• 46 percent of the men surveyed said they do not do a self-test.
• While most men are aware that testicular cancer can be hereditary, 40 percent of men surveyed believe they can get testicular cancer from wearing tight underwear, taking a class, or having too much or not enough sex.
• 63 percent of men surveyed know that testicular cancer is rare, but few are aware that it is the most common type of cancer in young adults and teens.
• Source: cacti.org

Testicular cancer, also known as testicular cancer, is usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and sometimes radiotherapy. In most cases, the affected testicle is removed and a biopsy is taken to determine the specific type of cancer. Affected lymph nodes are also removed, but unlike many of those connected to other organs, the lymph nodes connected to the testicles are not near the groin or pelvis, but in the chest around the aorta and vein. The largest blood vessels. that leads to the heart. “It’s a rather difficult process because you’re working on large blood vessels,” says Dr. Sadeghi. “But it’s a rewarding process because once these areas are cleaned up, the patient often has very positive results.”

Common signs of testicular cancer:

• Hard lumps or nodules on either testicle
• A change in the shape or feel of the testicle
• Swelling in the scrotum
• Mild soreness in the abdomen or scrotum.
• A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum.
• Enlarged or swollen breasts.

The disease causes 400 cancer deaths annually, one-tenth the number of breast cancer deaths, and much less than other common cancers, such as lung cancer (150,000) and colorectal cancer (50,000). However, testicular cancer can spread quickly and spread if it is not caught early. For this reason, says Dr. Sadeghi, it’s important for young adults to check themselves regularly to better feel for differences in their testicles over time. “The key is that you should have checked yourself to see how your testicles feel so you can better detect any changes,” he says. “If you feel a hard knot or irregularity in shape or if one feels different than the other, get it checked out.” CACTI offers a self-test guide on its website.