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Having the balls to talk about Testicular Cancer

As types of cancers go, Testicular Cancer is not way up there, and is actually comparatively rare, with only about 8,850 cases expected to be diagnosed this year.  However, the trend is going in the wrong direction going from 3.6 cases per 100,000 men to nearly double that at 6.3 per 100K over the past 40 years.  And despite its relatively low numbers, it is the most common cancer in men 15-34.  It is also the one that men most want to avoid talking about.  But it is time that it comes out of the shadows.

There is one bright spot to point out.  While cases may be on the rise year over year, the number of people dying from testicular cancer continues to drop, with five year survival rates exceeding 95%.  But until we are at 100% or until we can prevent it to begin with, there is still work to be done.

You can’t be sure you have testicular cancer from just symptoms, so it’s important to see a doctor about any  symptoms that concern you.  Whatever you do… DO NOT WAIT!  It is much better to ask and find out it is nothing, than to just ignore it and find out the cancer has spread before you get treatment.

  • The most common symptom of testicular cancer according to the The American Cancer Society is a painless lump on or in a testicle.
  • Sometimes the testicle may become swollen or larger, without a lump. (It’s normal for one testicle to be slightly larger than the other, and for one to hang lower than the other.)
  • Some testicular tumors might cause pain, but most of the time they don’t. Men with testicular cancer may also have a heavy or aching feeling in the lower belly or scrotum.
  • Breast growth or soreness: Rarely, testicular cancers can cause men’s breasts to grow or become sore. This is because certain types of testicular cancer can make high levels of hormones that affect the breasts. Some men might also notice a loss of sexual desire.
  • Signs of early puberty in boys: Some testicular cancers make male sex hormones. This may not cause any specific symptoms in men, but in boys it can cause signs of puberty, such as a deepening of the voice and the growth of facial and body hair, at an early age.

The long and short of it is that early detection can make all the difference.  Know yourself, the Movember Foundation has a “hands-on” guide to self testing [PDF]. If you notice a change in size or shape, a lump that wasn’t there before, or if they become painful to touch, see a doctor. Don’t panic, but do get it checked out.

Prostate Cancer a Quick Primer

Cancer is never a fun topic to bring up.  But try and bring up the topic of prostate cancer and most men with cringe, perhaps strike an uncomfortable pose for a moment, and then as quickly as possible change the subject to just about anything else (well, except for testicular cancer, but that is a story for another day).

Fortunately, for younger men, pushing off the discussion is not exactly fraught with peril.  It is actually quite rare to be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer before the age of 40, and average age of diagnosis is 66 years old.   That however doesn’t mean it can be ignored.  The fact of the matter is 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer at some point, accounting for an estimated 161,360 news cases this year alone, culminating in more than 26,000 men prematurely dying from this disease.

There are plenty of studies on Prostate Cancer, and what they all basically tell us is that, we don’t know a whole hell of a lot as to causes or prevention.  There is some suggestions that it runs in families, but nothing is concrete. Some suggest that diet, weight, smoking, chemical exposure, inflammation, STDs, and even Vasectomies may or may not have some effects, though no direct correlation has been proven.

So, there is no real way to know if you are at risk, and there is no real preventative measures that we know about.  Then, what is the best thing we can do?  That is easy.  Screening and early detection.  Of course, this is another area that makes men cringe.  The famous (or is it infamous) digital rectal exam is often enough to make many men decide they don’t need to go through with the screening.  But fortunately there is now another option.  The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test is actually a simple blood test, eliminating that excuse.  Prostate cancer detected by either of these methods is almost certainly going to be in the early stages and treatable.

The 5 year survival rate for Prostate Cancer is at almost 99% when it is detected early.  Regardless of how “uncomfortable” a topic this may be, “sucking it up” and getting tested can ensure even if you do wind up with Prostate Cancer, it can be conquered, and is well worth any “embarrassment” the topic may bring.

He gave no indication

Bradley J. BufandaYou can’t use the phrase, “perfect timing” when it comes to something like suicide, so I am not sure what to call something like this. This is not the sort of topic that you wish to have a prime and high profile example just pop up.  I spend a couple of days talking about suicide, when I read this morning Veronica Mars actor Bradley Bufanda committed suicide.  It is of course a tragedy, and only unique in the fat that he was a celebrity but other than that is not much different than the (on average) other 92 men that committed suicide today.

There is one thing that will be common in most (if not all) of them.  You will hear things like, “I had no idea,”  “He gave no indication that there was something wrong,”  “I had no idea.”  The convenience of using Bradley as an example, is that you can view multiple stories and sources to confirm this.  You see “shocked,” “saddened” as well as “can’t believe it.”  What you don’t see in the article linked to above, or this one, or even this one, is any sense of foreboding.  Nobody saw a problem.  Nobody sensed anything wrong?!  And worst of all, Bradley never said a word to anyone.

And that right there is the big problem.  Men don’t/won’t talk about their issues.  They “tough ’em out.”  They are certain that they can work it out on their own.  Unfortunately, with all to frequent a rate of failure, something needs to change.  If you are a guy.  Don’t be afraid to reach out.  It is NOT a sign of weakness.  If you are a woman, and see something, don’t blow it off.  Say something.  And don’t let him blow it off.  Otherwise the results could be deadly.

Men and Suicide by the numbers

At the risk of sounding sexist… Men like numbers… or more specifically stats.  WHIP, ERA, Ks, pass completion rate, Quarterback rating and many other stats, depending on their favorite sport or team, they can usually rattle these stats off at a moments notice, to defend their favorite player or to claim who is the best.

But bring up the discussion of depression and suicide and suddenly the numbers are hard to come by… but here they are in black and white.

Men are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide than women.

White males accounted for 7 of every 10 suicides in 2015

Firearms are the most common method used, accounting for just less than half of men’s suicides.

For every suicide, there are approximately 25 others who have attempted suicide.

Approximately 93 men die per day by suicide, and when you realize that for every successful suicide another 25 attempt it, that means more than 2400 men attempt suicide, or more than 1 every minute, of every day.

These aren’t the sort of stats that you will bandied about by the water cooler on a Monday morning. But perhaps they should be.  With suicide rates among men on the rise, we are quickly approaching (if we haven’t already reached) epidemic proportions.