TESTICULAR CANCER

TESTICULAR CANCER

TESTICULAR CANCER

Testicular cancer is the most common type of
cancer in young men ages 15 to 35. Early
detection is critical because testicular cancer
typically grows quickly and begins to spread to
other parts of the body just a few months after
the first symptoms appear. But treated early, it
is almost 100 percent curable.
Testicular cancer, caught and treated early,
is almost 100 percent curable.

RISK FACTORS

There are several factors that increase men’s risk of developing testicular cancer:
• A g e . Most common in men
15 to 35, but can strike any
man at any age.
• Undescended testicle(s), even
if they were brought to normal
position as a child.
• Family history of testicular
c a n c e r.
• Being Caucasian. White men
are slightly more likely to
develop testicular cancer than
Hispanics, twice as likely as
Asian-Americans, and five to
ten times more likely than
A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n s .
• Diet. Several recent studies have found that eating a lot of cheese and other
d a i ryproducts increases the risk of developing testicular cancer. Luncheon
meats and a high-red-meat/low-fruit diet also increases the risk.

EARLY DETECTION

The best way to identify symptoms is to do a simple, three-minute self-exam
once a month beginning on your 15th birthday. Here’s how to do the exam:
• Get into the shower or a warm bath. Heat causes the scrotum skin to relax,
making the exam easier.
• Soap up. Fingers glide over soapy skin, making it easier to concentrate on
the texture underneath.
• Using both hands, slowly roll each testicle between the thumb and fingers,
applying slight pressure. It’s completely normal to find that one testicle
may be slightly larger.
• Try to find hard, pea-sized, painless bumps in the testicles (“balls”)
t h e m s e l v e s .

• Ignore the epididymis. The epididymis is a cord-like structure on the top
and back of the testicle that stores and transports the sperm.
• See your doctor promptly if you feel or see anything suspicious. Also tell
your doctor if you experience any pain or a heavy feeling in either testicle.
By doing these exams regularly, you’ll learn what a normal testicle feels like. And
that will make it much easier to know if something changes.