What is Testicular Cancer and What are the Signs
and Symptoms You and Your Sex Partner Should
be Looking For That Could Save Your Life?
According to the National Cancer Institute, it is estimated that over 8,000 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2010. Further, it is estimated that over 300 men will die from testicular cancer this year. These statistics are difficult to accept but it must also be noted that many men are able to conquer this form of cancer every year as well. As with all forms of cancer, early diagnosis can improve the odds of a complete cure.
Who gets Testicular Cancer?
Testicular cancer is not like a sexually transmitted disease or the flu. It cannot be passed through a sneeze or a handshake. This is something that is not completely understood by the medical community, though some research has pointed to commonalities between many men who do become infected with this form of cancer.
For instance, a link is believed to be found between men who have an undescended testicle at birth and testicular cancer later in life. Some studies are estimating that 10% of testicular cancer sufferers had this condition when they were babies. This is obviously not always a direct cause since an estimated 90% of sufferers did not have the undescended testicle condition as babies.
Symptoms of Testicular Cancer
While feeling a lump in a testicle may be the number one symptom that sends a man to the doctor to be tested for cancer, there are other symptoms that some men may experience. Not all men will have all of these symptoms and some men may notice no symptoms at all. In most cases, a man will go to the doctor without realizing it could be cancer. This is why it is so important that men go to the doctor even if they think it may be nothing big.
Small symptoms can be something big, so routine check ups and frequent visits for any of these symptoms are essential:
- Change in size of one testicle or both testes.
- Testicle pain.
- Heavy sensation in the scrotum.
- Lower back pain or sensation of pressure
- Frequent stomachaches.
Some men may feel pain and discomfort in their groin area or the stomach specifically while others feel it in their lower back and stomach as well as in the scrotum area. Again, some men may not feel any pain or discomfort at all. That is when someone noticing a lump or change in the size of a testicle or both testes becomes more urgent.
The spread of cancer
Testicular cancer starts when a cancerous cell in one of the testicles begins to multiply. This happens very quickly and the cells spread throughout both testes and into the rest of the body if it is not detected and treated quickly.
Cancer spreads because in many cases there are no physical signs that warn a cancerous cell is present in the body. The person does not feel sick, run a fever, or start throwing up uncontrollably. It would be nice if the human body were able to produce these signs of sickness when a cancer cell initially starts to invade the body, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen in most cases. This is what makes early detection of cancer so difficult, yet it is also so crucial if the person is to cure the cancer and live a long life.
This is why everyone should be informed of the signs and symptoms of all forms of cancer. This means even women should be aware of the signs of testicular cancer and men should be aware of the signs of breast cancer. The chance of early diagnosis is a bit higher if there is more than one person looking for possible signs of testicular cancer.
Everyone, male and female, should inform themselves of the signs and symptoms of this form of cancer. Only men can be affected by this form of cancer, but there are some ways that a female loved one could pick up on the signs and help with early diagnosis.
Signs every woman should be aware of
There are some signs of this form of cancer that could be noticed by a lover or companion of an affected man. Long term studies by the National Cancer Database have revealed that more men are now initially becoming aware of testicular cancer by noticing a lump or bump in the testes.
This is the most common sign to alert a man that he may have a problem and it happens to be a sign that women who are aware could also discover for a man they love.
It is unknown exactly what causes testicular cancer, which is all the more reason for everyone to inform themselves of the symptoms. That includes women who have a man they love!
