männer* |II/22

HEALTH Prevention

HEALTH Prevention Testicular cancer: What men must do Overall, only about one to two percent of all malignant tumors diagnosed are testicular carcinomas. So is it an exotic disease? Too unlikely for risk-taking daredevils to be personally relevant? Wrong! männer* clarifies. Foto: Giuseppe Patriarchie / unsplash.com / CO0 E THE MOST COMMON CANCER In contrast to almost all other cancers, most cases of testicular cancer occur at a comparatively early age between 25 and 45 years. The median age of onset is 37 years. In this age group, this type of cancer is then no longer exotic at all, but the most common malignant tumor in men. And it is occurring more and more frequently. In the USA, 5.7 out of every 100,000 men over the age of 15 were diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1992; in 2009, the figure was 6.8. In the European "EUREG database," an increase in the testicular cancer rate was also found in 15 out of 19 countries. In Germany, malignant testicular cancer is diagnosed even in 10 out of 100,000 male inhabitants. Testicular cancer is malignant because without treatment it destroys healthy tissue and can quickly spread to all organs of the body. Without treatment it is always fatal. Fortunately, however, testicular cancer is also one of the best treatable carcinomas: with early treatment, it can be permanently cured in most people. The long-term survival rate is 95 percent. If metastases have already formed in other organs, this figure drops to around 70 percent. 14 Issue 02

TOUCH ONCE A MONTH! The devastating effect, that backward moral concepts can have, is perhaps best illustrated by germ cell cancer in young men. About 80 percent of the finds are due to the self-initiative of the diseased. In most cases found means felt. The shameing advice of parents, that everything below the belt is phew and bleh, was obviously not followed by them. Good thing. According to the German Urological Association (DGU), the most important early symptoms of testicular cancer are palpable, painless, hard swellings of the testicle or lumps in or on the testicle. The association therefore also calls on young men between the ages of 14 and 45 to have a regular "testicle check" once a month. The specially created website www.hodencheck.de gives the following advice: ■ How often? Urologists recommend that all boys and men between the ages of 14 and 45 palpate their testicles once a month: preferably while standing under a warm shower or after a warm bath, because it relaxes the skin of the scrotum and the testicles are easier to feel. With a little practice, self-examination of the testicles quickly becomes routine and takes little time. ■ What to look for? A unilateral painless enlargement or hardening of the testicle or a small, hard painless lump on the testicle is noticable. Likewise, a feeling of heaviness or pulling in the testicle area can be a warning sign. ■ Here's how First, palpate the scrotum and testicles from below in the open palm of your hand and move them gently up and down. This will give you a sense of the weight and size of the testicles. Then palpate each testicle individually: to do this, roll the testicles back and forth between your thumb (above) and your index and middle fingers (below). Unevenness or lumps can be felt easily this way. You can also feel the epididymis, which lie like a cap on top and on the outside of the testicles and can easily be mistaken for a conspicuous finding. Lastly, check in the mirror to see if any swelling is noticeable in the scrotum area. SOMETHING CONSPICUOUS FOUND? In case of changes in the testicles, a urologist should be consulted without delay. With a palpation and ultrasound examination as well as a blood test, the urologist can clarify a suspicion of a testicular tumor. HIV, PrEP und STI-Therapie DR. MED. ULRICH KASTENBAUER Allgemeinmedizin . Infektiologie . Psychotherapie Ainmillerstr. 26 80801 München Tel.: 089 33 38 63 Fax: 089 39 57 48 In Praxisgemeinschaft mit Dr. Anja Meurer und Dr. Joanna Eger team@infektiologie-schwabing.de www.infektiologie-schwabing.de FOTO: FREEPIK.COM / WHATWOLF E 15