If you've recently been diagnosed, or are worried you might have it, you might be asking yourself what is testicular cancer? As you may have guessed by the name of the disease, testicular cancer is a form of cancer that is found in men's testicles. Over the course of a man's lifetime, the odds of him getting testicular cancer are roughly 1 in 250. Surprisingly enough, the age group most affected by it is relatively young. It is most commonly found in males aged 15 to 40, and men are most frequently diagnosed in their mid twenties. Fortunately, the survival rate for those who have been diagnosed with testicular cancer is extremely high, approximately 90 percent. In fact, stage 1 testicular cancer has a survival rate of up to 95 percent.
Now that the question of 'what is testicular cancer' has been answered, let's talk about the symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms are blood in the semen, loss of sexual appetite, tenderness or pain in the testicles, a lump or hardening in one of the testicles or an increase (or drastic decrease) in size of one of the testes. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is imperative that you see your doctor as soon as possible. While testicular cancer is rare in African American males, the incidence of it has doubled in that particular demographic from 1988 to 2001. It is also possible for infants to get testicular cancer, and incidence actually peaks in that age group as well as in men age 60 plus.
Between 7,000 to 8,000 men are diagnosed in the United States each year, and if you've overcome testicular cancer in the past it can come back. Recently, testicular cancer has been in the media quite a bit. Former Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong was diagnosed and almost died of testicular cancer, as did Tom Green and Richard Belzer. So what is testicular cancer? It turns out, it's something that no man is immune from.
Considering that 1 in 250 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer at one point or another, knowing which testicular cancer symptoms to look for can be a life saving bit of knowledge. When you think about it, the statistics are staggering. Not only is testicular cancer fairly common, but it can affect any age group. While you're most likely to be diagnosed with testicular cancer while you're in the 15 to 40 age bracket, everyone from infants to the elderly are at risk. On the bright side, testicular cancer is one of the less deadly forms of the ailment. The mortality rate for testicular cancer as a whole is only around 10 percent, and when it is caught in the earliest stage that number drops to approximately 5 percent.
Still, many people have died from it and it doesn't matter how healthy you are. Take, for instance, Lance Armstrong. The man was a living legend and had won the Tour De France several times when he was diagnosed at the peak of his career. While he ended up living through it, testicular cancer was almost the end of this American Hero. As a result, a huge movement started with people buying and wearing yellow rubber LiveStrong wrist bands. Aimed at raising awareness, the little yellow bands did their job. All that, and many people still don't know many of the testicular cancer symptoms.
If you're unfamiliar with testicular cancer symptoms, please hop online and look them up. There are several of them, many of which are relatively obvious. Others, however, might not send up as many red flags. For example, did you know that dull pain in your lower abdomen is a symptom of testicular cancer? I certainly didn't, until I did my homework. I suggest you do some of your own, it could just save your life one day.
If you're a man who has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and are looking for somebody to connect with, testicular cancer forums might be the best place to turn. If you're unfamiliar with what forums are, allow me to explain. Online forums are places where people can go to talk about specific topics. They're like written forms of conversation, and any member (sometimes even people who aren't members) can start topics or comment on ones that have already been started. If you have questions, you can start a new topic (called a thread) and write them all out. Depending on how popular the forum is, you can have several answers almost immediately.
Testicular cancer forums can be great for men who don't know anyone who has had to deal with testicular cancer. These forums can be like instant support groups, with members writing in words of encouragement, suggestions or even promises for prayer support. Additionally, you can be as anonymous as you'd like on these forums. This means that if your family doesn't know that you've been diagnosed or are concerned about possibly having testicular cancer, you can talk online in the forums about it without having to worry about being discovered.
Unfortunately, the benefit of anonymity on testicular cancer forums (and online forums in general) is also a huge drawback. You can never really be sure of who you're talking to. A person may give medical advice and claim to be a doctor, but there's really no way for you to verify it before deciding whether or not to follow the advice. Still, as long as you're careful and are aware of what you may be dealing with, there's no reason not to frequent the forums. They can be incredibly therapeutic, and I highly recommend them.
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