Testicular Cancer

What you need to know about Ball Bearings and Shot Suspension...

Rare but increasing

The good news is testicular cancer is rare and very treatable. Most men who get it are cured. The bad news is it is the most common cancer in younger men between 15 and 34 years in Ireland. There were 159 new cases of testicular cancer diagnosed in 2008. If you had an undescended testicle your risk of testicular cancer is higher. You also have a higher risk if your father or brother suffered from testicular cancer.

Most men can still have a normal sex life and children after treatment for testicular cancer.
Knowing the signs of testicular cancer and having it treated early increases your chance of this being the case.

It’s in your hands

Be aware of how your balls normally feel by checking them on a regular basis:

• Check your testicles once a month, while in the bath or shower. In this way you get to know the normal size, shape and weight of each of your balls.
• Cradle your scrotum in both hands. Use your fingers and thumbs to examine and compare your testicles, one at a time. Small differences in size are normal. One can also be hung lower than the other.
• Testicles should feel firm and smooth without lumps or swellings
• It is normal to feel a soft rubbery tube at the top and back of both testicles. This is called the epididymis. It carries sperm to the penis. It can be tender and it wobbles.

See your doctor if you:

• Feel a painless lump, no matter how small
• Feel a swelling in either ball
• Feel a discomfort, heaviness or pain in a ball or in your scrotum
• Feel a dull ache in the groin
• Notice anything that is unusual for you

Further Information on Testicular Cancer

Thankfully, most lumps aren’t cancer. But don’t ignore a lump, even if you notice it after an injury. Let your doctor decide whether you need further tests. There are a range of options for treatment. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy may be used alone or together.