Testicular cancer: What are the signs to look out for and how do you check you have it?
Testicular cancer may be rare, but it's the most common form of cancer facing young men.
It's also one of the most treatable cancers if it's caught early. Survival rates are high, with 95 per cent of men under age 45 surviving at least five years after diagnosis, European data shows.
But because there are few symptoms, men may not realise they have testicular cancer, leading to delays in diagnosis that can make treatment more complicated.
Part of the problem is that 'there is no self-examination culture' due to social 'taboos,' said Dr Hendrik Van Poppel, a urologist on the board of the European Association of Urology (EAU) and co-chair of the inequalities network hosted by the European Cancer Organisation.
Related
'Who knew a pair of undies could hold so much power': New underwear labels to raise cancer awareness
With Testicular Cancer Awareness Month in full swing, here's what you need to know to take charge of your health.
Who is at risk of testicular cancer?
Testicular cancer affects about one in every 250 men in Europe, and it's the most common cancer among those
under age 45
. Diagnoses peak in the late 20s and early 30s.
Some men are at higher risk of testicular cancer, including those with a family history of it, men with HIV or fertility problems, white men, and those with cryptorchidism.
Cryptorchidism is a condition where the testicles do not descend into the scrotum, which they normally do around the time a baby boy is born. About
5 to 10 per cent
of men with testicular cancer had the condition, which can be fixed with surgery, as a child.
What are the signs of testicular cancer?
Van Poppel told Euronews Health that young men and teenage boys should do self-examinations while in a warm shower or bath, when the scrotum is relaxed. Check each testicle separately for lumps or changes.
Related
World Cancer Day: Forever chemicals in tap water might cause cancer to spread, study finds
According to the EAU
, most changes you might find during a self-exam are not cancer. But if you find a small, painless lump in the testicle it could be serious, so follow up with a doctor.
Other warning signs include a testicle getting bigger or painful, or the scrotum feeling firm, hard, heavy, or achy, the
UK National Health Service (NHS) said.
Pain in your back or lower stomach, losing weight, having a cough or a hard time breathing or swallowing, and a sore chest can all be symptoms as well.
What is life like after a testicular cancer diagnosis?
Treatment typically involves surgery to remove the testicle, sometimes followed by chemotherapy or radiation. Some people opt to get an artificial testicle put in to replace the one they lost in surgery, according to the NHS.
Related
Men with higher quality sperm may have longer lifespan, new study finds
Some testicular cancer treatments can affect fertility, meaning it could be harder to have children. Before beginning treatment, you may want to consider storing and banking your sperm, which could be used for fertility treatments in the future.
If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, it can be harder to treat. In that case, doctors may offer more intensive treatments or palliative care to manage your symptoms as long as possible.
ADVERTISEMENT
The bottom line, Van Poppel said, is that testicular cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence.
'Many of these guys who are discovered late, even metastatic, can be cured,' Van Poppel said. 'But the main goal should be timely detection'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AFP
a day ago
- AFP
Social media posts misleadingly describe lenacapavir as a vaccine
'UPDATE: WHO has approved Kenya to roll out the Lenacapavir injectable HIV vaccine. You will rush for this more than the one for Corona,' reads an English and Swahili Facebook post published on July 15, 2025. Image Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, taken on August 1, 2025 Similar claims were published here and here on Facebook. HIV breakthrough HIV is a virus that attacks the body's immune system by targeting white blood cells. These cells are essential in helping the body fight against infections and diseases (archived here). It is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids such as blood and semen from an infected person, and if left untreated, HIV can advance to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), the most severe stage of infection. At the end of 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 40.8 million people were living with HIV globally, with 65 percent of them in the WHO African Region. Administered as a twice-yearly injection and developed by Gilead Sciences, LEN represents a major advancement in the fight against HIV and was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on July 1, 2025 (archived here and here). Image Drugmaker Gilead manufactures lenacapavir (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / JUSTIN SULLIVAN) During the 13th International AIDS Society Conference (IAS 2025) on HIV Science in Kigali, Rwanda, this July, the WHO also endorsed the drug, issuing guidelines recommending it as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for people at high risk of HIV infection (archived here). PrEP is medication taken by individuals who do not have HIV but are at risk of contracting it. In case of infection, these treatments help the body stop the virus from replicating (archived here). Kenya was selected as one of the nine early adopter countries for the rollout of LEN, scheduled for January 2026. According to the country's health ministry, each dose is expected to cost 6,000 Kenyan shillings (about $46) (archived here and here). However, social media posts describing LEN as a vaccine are misleading. Not a vaccine According to its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences, LEN, marketed under the brand names Sunlenca and Yeztugo, is approved for two uses: as a treatment for adults who are resistant to other HIV treatments -- combined with other ARVs -- and as a PrEP option to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV (archived here and here). ARVs are used to treat HIV. They do not cure the virus but are a lifelong treatment that works by suppressing the infection to prevent it from progressing to AIDS (archived here). Kenya's director general for health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, told AFP Fact Check: 'Lenacapavir is not a vaccine. It is an antiretroviral medicine that prevents HIV infection.' This is different from how a vaccine affects the body. Vaccines train the immune system to recognise and fight specific pathogens before a person is infected. They do so by imitating an infection to trigger the body's natural defences. This helps the body identify the pathogen so it can respond quickly if exposed to it in the future, preventing disease (archived here). In contrast, ARVs like LEN are used to treat those already living with HIV or to prevent infection in the case of PrEP. These drugs work by blocking the virus at different stages of its lifecycle, and when taken consistently, they help control the infection and prevent transmission to others (archived here). 'Vaccines work by stimulating the body to produce antibodies against a disease,' Amoth said. 'Lenacapavir is a capsid inhibitor, blocking HIV from replicating by interfering with viral assembly and release, hence allowing the body to prevent new infections.' The capsid is the protein shell of an infectious virus that encases its genetic material. Capsids help viruses such as HIV survive. Drugs that are capsid inhibitors, like LEN, disrupt viral replication and protect the host from infection (archived here and here). Dr Andrew Mulwa, head of Kenya's National AIDS & STI Control Program (NASCOP), reiterated that LEN is not a vaccine. 'Lenacapavir, just like Cabotegravir, is an antiretroviral drug,' Mulwa told AFP Fact Check. Cabotegravir, marketed as Apretude and Cabenuva, was the first long-acting injectable PrEP that was approved by the FDA in 2021. It is administered as two initial injections four weeks apart, followed by an injection every two months (archived here). During his opening remarks at the IAS 2025 conference, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: 'While an HIV vaccine remains elusive, lenacapavir is the next best thing: a long-acting antiretroviral shown in trials to prevent almost all HIV infections among those at risk' (archived here). AFP Fact Check has debunked other HIV-related claims here.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Euronews
Who are the people driving up gambling statistics in Europe?
The number of customers in the European Union and the United Kingdom on online gambling platforms reached 38.6 million last year, representing a 19% increase from the 32.5 million recorded in 2023, according to the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). While this is an upward trend over the past five years, the number of people looking for help to stop gambling addiction across Europe has also increased. Data from The Lancet from 2024 claims that 54.7 million men worldwide experienced gambling disorders or problematic gambling, compared to 25.3 million women. Gambling can lead to serious harms to health, including financial stress, relationship breakdown, family violence, mental illness and suicide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). EGBA's members represent approximately 30% of Europe's 2024 online gambling gross gaming revenue. Its members include Bet365 and Entain, which owns Ladbrokes and Paddy Power. In 2024, three-quarters of customers were male, marking an increase from 72% in 2023. Among women, this figure dropped from 28% in 2023 to 25% in 2024. People aged between 26 and 35 years and between 36 and 50 years make up the biggest share of gamblers, each representing 29% of customers. In Europe, online casinos currently remain the largest contributor at €21.5 billion, followed by sports and events betting at €13.7 billion. Both are projected to grow by around 7% annually until 2029. As a result, EU and national lawmakers are tightening rules and aim to combat the trivialisation of gambling. For instance, Germany prohibits online gambling altogether, while other member states allow it but only under restricted circumstances. Gambling among young students Although underage gambling is illegal in European countries, a 2024 study conducted by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) reveals that, on average, 23% of students aged 15 to 16 across 37 European countries reported having gambled for money in the past 12 months. This gambling occurred either in person or online and involved games of chance, such as slot machines, card games, dice games, lotteries, or betting on sports and animal races. Italy has the highest prevalence of gambling among students, at 45%, followed by Greece, at 36%. In contrast, the lowest rate is observed in Georgia, at 9.5%. A 2025 study conducted by Italian researchers using ESPAD data found that Southern European and Balkan countries are in the high-prevalence group, while Eastern European countries fall into the medium-prevalence group. Scandinavian and Central European countries predominantly belong to the low-prevalence group. Experts have also noted that while women are less likely to start gambling, they tend to progress to problem gambling more quickly. Online gambling has also seen a considerable growth, with participation rates growing by more than half among boys, from 13% in 2019 to 20% in 2024, and tripling among girls, from 2.7% in 2019 to 8.7% in 2024. The percentage of student gamblers exhibiting a potentially harmful gambling profile has increased notably, nearly doubling from 4.7% in 2019 to 8.5% in 2024. While this proportion remains much higher among boys, the increase is more pronounced among girls. "Environmental and contextual factors play a more significant role in initiating gambling behaviour, while individual characteristics have a greater impact on the likelihood of being at risk," researchers Elisa Benedetti, Gabriele Lombardi, Rodolfo Cotichini, Sonia Cerrai, Marco Scalese, and Sabrina Molinaro stated in the study.
LeMonde
3 days ago
- LeMonde
Back from Gaza, doctors question Europe's torpor: 'Do we still have any humanity left?'
While diving into his memories, Mehdi El Melali, a 33-year-old French emergency room doctor, paused, overcome with emotion. No words, he said, could truly capture the hellscape that is the Gaza Strip. He said he only spent three weeks there, from July 4 to July 25, 2024, on a mission organized by the Al-Rahma and PalMed Europe organizations. The violence of his account sharply contrasted with the context he spoke in, a gentle summer evening in a Paris café. "A part of me stayed back there, in a way," he said, apologizing. "I have trouble switching off." Like other European humanitarian workers, he has developed a profound sense of solitude. "You come back from there transformed," said orthopedic surgeon François Jourdel. The 54-year-old veteran physician completed his first field mission back in 1997, in Angola. Yet Gaza, he said, was unique: "The bombings are relentless and people cannot flee. The whole population is affected." He was far from the only medical professional to express such shock. In many respects, the situation created by Israel's assault on Gaza, which has gone on for 22 months, ever since the Palestinian group Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has been unlike anything they had ever seen elsewhere.
