Testicular Cancer Awareness – Send a Cancer Gift Box From Rock the Treatment
What can you do for your friend who is being treated for testicular cancer? Consider sending a cancer gift box from Rock the Treatment. Now is a perfect time because The springtime is when the American Cancer Society spotlights Testicular Cancer Awareness. Find out more about our cancer gift boxes for men getting chemotherapy and men getting radiation.
Testicular Cancer Statistics
Testicular cancer is the single leading cancer in men 15-44, although it can occur at any age. The average age of diagnosis is 33. For men who are 20-40, testicular cancer is the most common malignancy.
According to statistics, between 8-10 thousand men will develop testicular cancer each year. The risk of testicular cancer is about 1 out of 250. Thankfully, the cure rate of this type of cancer spares many of its victims from untimely deaths. At any given time in the US, approximately 20,000 men are living with testicular cancer and 200,000 have been cured.
Caucasian men are 3-5 times more likely to have testicular cancer than men in other ethnic groups. Worldwide, the risk of testicular cancer is highest in the US.
Risk Factors for Testicular Cancer
Scientists don’t know much about what causes testicular cancer. There are few risk factors. In fact, most boys and men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer have no clear, known risk factors.
Researchers have identified these as possible risk factors for developing testicular cancer:
- Having an undescended testicle
- Having precancerous cells in the testicle (carcinoma in situ or CIS)
- Having previously had testicular cancer
- Having a family member who had or has testicular cancer
- Being HIV positive or having AIDS
- Your ethnicity or race
- Your height and size
Because there are few known risk factors, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment can be important overcome testicular cancer.
Detecting, Diagnosing and Treating Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer can sometimes be detected early before it spreads. Usually, a man will find a lump or swelling of the testicle, although these symptoms do not always indicate cancer is present.
Other times, symptoms do not develop until the cancer has become advanced. Symptoms of advanced testicular cancer can include:
- Heaviness in the scrotum or lower abdomen
- Lower back pain
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing
- Belly pain
- Headaches and confusion
A large part of testicular cancer awareness is educating men on the importance of having their doctor perform testicular exams as part of their regular check-ups and conducting periodic self-examinations. Self-exams can familiarize men with what feels normal so they can detect changes and report them to their doctors.
Treating Testicular Cancer
Treating testicular cancer might involve several doctors and other health care professionals, including a urologist, medical oncologist, and radiation oncologist. The recommended course of treatment can depend on a variety of factors.
Things to consider might be the stage of cancer, potential side effects of treatment, and the specific type of cancer cells involved.
Treatment plans can include surgical removal of a tumor, the spermatic cord, removing part of the entire testicle, chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted radiation implants.
Testicular cancer is highly curable. Even when this type of cancer has spread to other parts of the body, there is a good chance of a successful treatment.
Living With and Surviving Testicular Cancer
Because testicular cancer and its treatment can cause infertility, it can be an emotional and difficult illness to process despite its high survival rate. Speaking to doctors at the time of diagnosis and before treatment about fertility issues that may result is imperative to temper expectations and understand options. For example, some men can freeze their sperm to use later in life if they wish to father children.
Send Our Cancer Gift Box for Men to Someone You Know With Cancer
Men don’t always have the same support system as women do when it comes to cancer. It might be because they think they don’t need it or because they are too embarrassed to discuss their anxieties and concerns. However, having support is an important part of making a full physical and emotional recovery from cancer.
At Rock the Treatment, we make it easy to let someone with cancer know you care and support them on their difficult journey. If someone you love has testicular cancer or any other type of cancer, send a helpful cancer gift basket from Rock The Treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation gift baskets are packed with the essentials needed to ease side effects of treatment, as well as enhance physical and mental well-being. See all of our cancer care packages and find the one that best supports their journey.
