Men are becoming more aware of testicular cancer, survey finds

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Young British men are more likely to check for testicular cancer than those in other European countries.
Testicular cancer is one of the few cancers which affect young men. It is relatively rare but rates are going up. Ninety eight per cent of men can expect to make a full recovery - but it is really important to catch the disease early. This means regular self-examination of the testicles.

Cancer Research UK, the leading charity, surveyed a group of 17,000 male university students around Europe in 1990, to see how many do check for testicular cancer. They repeated the survey in 2000, involving 19,000 students. In Britain, only ten per cent of the young men did the check in 1990 but by 2000, this had gone up to more than 36 per cent. Overall, across Europe, the number of young men showing this awareness of testicular cancer went up from 13 to 18 per cent. The increase among young Britons was higher than in any other European country. Awareness of testicular cancer had also doubled among young Irish men.

Men have a bad reputation for looking after their health, compared to women. And there is more awareness generally of conditions that can affect women, such as breast cancer. This survey reveals that attitudes can improve. More men could be saved from testicular cancer if the British example of regular self examination can spread to other European countries.

Source
Journal of Men's Health and Gender online 22nd November 2006

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