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Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer occurs in approximately 1 in 25,000 men per year. This type of cancer became more well-known after Lance Armstrong, the famous cyclist, and Scott Hamilton, the famous ice skater were diagnosed with it several years ago. It is less common in Afro-American men compared to Caucasians. The risk of developing testicular cancer in a man’s lifetime is about 1 in 500. It occurs most often between the ages of 15 and 40 years. I can also occur in infants and in late adulthood. Individuals who have had an undescended testicle are at increased risk of developing testicular cancer.
This is like any of type of cancer in that early diagnosis greatly increases survival rates. The best way to find this is through self-examination. The usual initial finding is of a painless lump &/or a hardness or enlargement of the testicle. Less often, there may be pain or tenderness. Any time there is a change like this, a visit to your health care provider is important.
Many times symptoms like this turn out to be nothing serious, but the only way to find out for sure is to get in and be examined. An ultrasound may be done to give your health care provider more information.
Treatment for testicular cancer may include surgery, radiation therapy &/or chemotherapy. Using a combination of these therapies, testicular cancer has the highest cure rate of all cancers. Both of the famous athletes mentioned above are back at their sports and doing well.