Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
April is Testicular Cancer Awareness month and here at Clan we are here to support men and their families that have been diagnosed and offer advice on how to cope with testicular cancer.
What is Testicular Cancer?
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles which are made up of different types of cells. The type of cancer you have depends on the type of cell the cancer starts in.
Most testicular cancers develop in the cells that make sperm, called germ cells. The 2 main types of cancer that start in germ cells are seminoma and non seminoma (some doctors call these teratomas).
Testicular cancer is rare and can be a very treatable type of cancer.
In the UK around 2,300 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year. That's about 1 out of every 100 cancers (1%) diagnosed in men.
It is most common in younger men in their early 30’s and the chances of you getting it become less common the older you get.
Symptoms and Treatment
Testicular cancer symptoms can be similar to other conditions that affect the testicles, such as infections.
What to look out for and when to see a doctor:
- an unusual lump or swelling in part of one testicle
- a sharp pain in the testicle or scrotum
- a heavy scrotum
- an increase in the firmness or feel
- an unusual difference between one testicle and the other
Your symptoms are unlikely to be cancer but it's important to get them checked by a doctor.
There are lots of different treatment options for testicular cancer and it all depends on the diagnosis such as, where the cancer is, how far it has grown or spread, the type of cancer and your general level of health and fitness.
The treatment options can include:
- Monitoring
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy
- Sperm Banking
- Follow up
How to cope with a Testicular Cancer diagnosis?
You are likely to have an array of different emotions that might change at different points during your diagnosis. You might feel upset, frightened and/or confused. One day you might feel positive and able to cope but the next day feel the exact opposite. It is important to remember that this is all natural.
Cancer and it’s treatment can cause different changes physically to your body which can be very difficult to cope with. It may end up affecting the way you feel about yourself so it is important to speak to someone about how you are feeling.
Counselling can help you to cope with the difficulties you’ll face. It can help to reduce your stress and improve your quality of life.
How can Clan help?
Clan can help in a variety of ways when you have been diagnosed with cancer. We have online cancer support as well as telephone support available from Monday to Friday.
We have created online cancer resources to be able to support you and your loved ones in a variety of ways when dealing with a cancer diagnosis. As well as our online resources we are now offering appointment-only face to face support in our Clan centres across the north-east and northern isles.
CLAN offers emotional support through our team of trained support volunteers and also our professional counsellors. Sometimes it can be difficult to share things with those closest to us. Our dedicated team of cancer support professionals are here to help and talk you through your diagnosis.
Get in touch with us today if you or a loved one are going through a testicular cancer diagnosis.
