April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month. Sometimes it can be hard to get the men in your life to go to the doctor, but healthcare experts say it's important for men of all ages to be seen.
"Men are less likely to get treated or have any preventive services, and more likely to get diagnosed in later stages for things like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes because of their reluctance to go in and be seen,” Dr. Shad Marvasti said.
He said testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 25 and 40. Dr. Marvasti said it's treatable 90 percent of the time, when caught early.
"If you're in that age group, you have this sense of invincibility, right? You're kind of feeling in your prime, you're healthy, you're doing your life, whatever you want to do. But you may not think about an illness, right? Or do I have something that could potentially kill me, right?” Dr. Marvasti said.
The National Cancer Institute said cancer is most commonly found during a routine physical or through a self exam.
“So getting that annual checkup is really important, and even just doing testicular self exams just to have familiarity with your body. And if you notice anything that's different or out of the ordinary, whether you notice a bump or a lump, or just like a symptom, that's not going away, that's a good time to come in and see the doctor and just ask,” Dr. Marvasti said.
About one in 270 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer.
