Once a month:
1) Everyone should donate to bettermost (please see make a donation, will ya? for more details)
2) Women should peform a breast self exam
3) Men should perform a testicular self exam
What?? the guys say, all squirmy and weird...yes, gentlemen, this is good for your health, and my son, following in his mother's steps of being a social and health activist, agrees with me. Check it out:
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/common/EditorialSearch/AViewer.aspx?AN=NW_06apr24_n6p23.html&AD=04-24-2006Vol. 6 •Issue 10 • Page 23
Testicle Tour 2006
Student earns grant to teach young men about testicular cancer
By DeLancey Nicoll
How many slang words do you know for "testicles"? I came up with the following: family jewels, balls, gonads, nuts, rocks, stones and testes.
I'm bringing up the subject because I've discovered a lot of young men — and not-so-young men — are embarrassed to say the word "testicles."
The trouble is, if you are embarrassed by the word, it's hard to talk about testicular cancer. If using a slang word makes it easier, then go for it.
The bottom line is this: Testicular cancer is an important topic and needs to be discussed, especially with young men, as we are the primary target for this type of cancer.
Getting Healthy
My name is DeLancey Nicoll. I am almost 18 years old and heading into my last few weeks of my senior year at Westbrook (ME) High School. In the fall, I will be studying nursing at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY.
Because I knew I wanted to study nursing, I decided to take extra science courses this year including anatomy and physiology, a college-level chemistry course; biotechnology and senior health.
Early in the semester in senior health, the teacher challenged us to do something "healthy." I thought about it: I eat three meals a day; I am a tri-athlete; I do not smoke, drink or use drugs. Except for getting a bit more sleep at night, what else could I do to be healthier?
My mom, who is a nurse, challenged me with this question: "Do you perform a testicular self-examination (TSE) on a regular basis?" When she first said "testicular," I was embarrassed, but then I realized, I did not even know what a TSE was. I decided to learn more.
Real Threat
I discovered testicular cancer is a real and serious problem particularly for young men in my age range. Testicular cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer in men age 15-35. It is the leading solid tumor cancer in men age 20-34.
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), 8,010 men were diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2005. Of those, 390 died. The rate of testicular cancer is on the rise around the world including in the United States. The increase is mostly of seminomas. Experts have not been able to find reasons for this increase.
Testicular cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the 5-year relative survival rate for all men with this cancer is more than 95 percent. If the cancer has not spread outside the testicle, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99 percent. Even if the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the 5-year relative survival rate is 96 percent. If the cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate is around 72 percent. There are nearly 140,000 men in the United States who have survived testicular cancer.
Many people are familiar with the famous people — such as cyclist Lance Armstrong and ice skater Scott Hamilton — who were diagnosed with testicular cancer and treated successfully.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Unfortunate Victims
In researching testicular cancer, I learned of a young man named Jason Struble who lived in St. Louis, MO. Jason was my age — a senior in high school — when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
When Jason was diagnosed, his right testicle had been swollen for 2 months, but he never told anyone about it. Was it because it didn't hurt, or was he embarrassed? No one will ever know. Despite aggressive chemotherapy and surgical treatment, Jason died about 2 years later.
Jason's family started a foundation in his name, the Jason A. Struble Memorial Cancer Fund (
http://www.testicularcancer.org/testicular/index.html). If you e-mail the fund, they will send you an information packet, video and shower card illustrating how to perform a TSE. Jason's family knows the key to treating testicular cancer is finding the disease at an early stage.
Who's At Risk?
The American Cancer Society recommends a testicular exam by a health practitioner be part of an annual physical exam.
The group also suggests men with known risk factors perform a personal TSE on a regular basis. Known risk factors include cryptorchidism (an undescended testicle), a family history of the disease, white race and age (teens and young men). Guidelines for performing a TSE are included in the sidebar.
I have two of the four known risk factors: I'm white and in the correct age bracket. Given this, I realized it was important for me to begin performing a personal TSE. The materials I received from the Struble Foundation were extremely helpful.
Spreading the Word
Through this process I became knowledgeable about testicular cancer and TSE, but I discovered my friends were not. In fact, when I even said the word "testicle," they had the same embarrassed reaction I first had.
I decided to take this on as a personal project, to provide outreach and education. With grant funding from the Maine Cancer Foundation, I have been able to purchase laminated shower cards and a testicular teaching model. I received print materials from the American Cancer Society.
Using these resources, I developed a multimedia presentation on the risks of testicular cancer. My goal is to provide education to 1,000 young men in high schools in southern and central Maine.
Writing this article is another way to provide outreach and education. If you are reading this and would like a shower card and print materials, please send a stamped ($.63 postage), self-addressed, business-sized envelope to: Lance Nicoll, 161 Conant St., Westbrook, ME 04092. As I noted above, I can provide these materials at no charge because of the support of the Maine Cancer Foundation.
So, if it's easier for you to say balls, nuts or some word other than testicle, go for it. The word is not as important as getting the message out: A 2-minute self-exam can save your life!
DeLancey Nicoll is a senior at Westbrook (ME) High School and plans to major in nursing at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, in the fall. He thanks the Maine Cancer Foundation for their support of the "Testicle Tour 2006" and his mother, Leslie H. Nicoll, PhD, MBA, RN, for her help with this article.
Figure: Possible Warning Signs of Testicular Cancer
Dull ache in the groin
Sudden accumulation of fluid/blood in the scrotum
Small, hard lump on the testicle (painless or uncomfortable)
Feeling of heaviness in the testicle
Enlargement of the testicle
Lower back pain
Swelling or tenderness in other parts of the body such as the groin, breast or neck
How to Perform a Testicular Self-Exam
It is recommended males examine their testicles once a month, beginning at puberty. Any abnormality should be brought to a healthcare professional's attention. If you are not sure who to talk to, consider your parents, school nurse, health teacher or coach.
Some pointers include:
A testicular self-exam should be done during or after a warm bath or shower, when heat causes the scrotal skin to relax and makes it easier to find anything unusual. The procedure is simple and only takes a few minutes.
Examine each testicle gently with both hands. Place your index and middle fingers underneath the testicles, roll your thumbs on top. Roll each testicle separately and gently between the thumbs and fingers, checking for lumps or irregularities.
Find the epididymis (cord-like structure on the top and back of each testicle that stores and carries sperm). Do not confuse the epididymis with an abnormal lump. The most common tumor is about the size of a pea on the front or side of the testicle. This type of lump is often painless.
After your shower, stand in front of a mirror and look for any swelling in the skin of the scrotum or in the groin. Call your healthcare professional or other resource person (parents, school nurse, coach, health teacher, etc.) if you feel or see something unusual.