Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

 Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

Testicular Cancer Awareness Month is observed in April. This awareness month takes place in concert with the long-recognized Testicular Cancer Awareness Week. Testicular Cancer Awareness Week starts on April 1st. Like any cancer, it is of great value to spread awareness. Awareness increases diagnosis and treatment and more positive outcomes.

Testicular cancer typically occurs in men age 15 to 44 years. This type of cancer is rare and very treatable. Testicular self-exams may help men catch problems early. This makes treatment easier. Men with the highest risk are those with a father or brother who had testicular cancer. In addition, those with a history of undescended testes or abnormal cells in the testicle called germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) are also at a higher risk.

What is the Color for Testicular Cancer?

Orchid is recognized as the testicular cancer awareness color. There are other references to the color yellow. This appears to be in part due to Lance Armstrong’s testicular cancer diagnosis. And, because of the formation of the former Lance Armstrong Foundation. However, the LIVESTRONG Foundation, represents all cancers and not just testicular cancer.

The Testicular Cancer Society recognizes royal blue as its official awareness color. There has been much debate about the color for testicular cancer awareness and ribbons. However, any color that one chooses to use is acceptable because the importance is raising awareness for testicular cancer. After all, a color is just a color but awareness saves men’s lives.

The Statistics

Testicular cancer is frequently diagnosed in men 14 years to 44 years of age. Its treatments (surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy) ensure a 5-years disease-free survival rate in about 95 percent of patients. Yet, like other cancers, it is imperative that the disease is diagnosed earlier rather than later. Thus, raising awareness is critical, given the lack of standard or routine testing for the disease.

Testicular Cancer Awareness Month encourages men to perform monthly testicular self-exams. It is important to remove the stigma associated with testicular cancer and educate others about the importance of monthly self-exams and early detection. Although testicular cancer is uncommon, affecting only 1 man in 250 men, it is the most prevalent cancer in men between 14 years to 44 years old. The average age of diagnosis is 33 years. Further, approximately 6 percent of testicular cancer cases occur in children and teenagers. In addition, 8 percent of cases occur in men 55 years and over.

Risk Factors

The U.S. and Europe see the highest rate of testicular cancer in the world. The disease is also most common among White men in the U.S. They are four to five times more likely to be diagnosed than Black men. In addition, White men are three times more likely than Asian men to receive a diagnosis.

Population-based studies conducted in the late 1990s to early 2000s reveal that having an immediate family member with a history of testicular cancer dramatically increases one’s risk of the disease, compared to the general male population. However, 90 percent of men diagnosed with testicular cancer have a documented family history. Further, cryptorchidism (a condition when one or more testes has not moved to its proper position in the scrotum before birth) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection increases one’s risk of testicular cancer.