Testicular cancer is the second most common cancer in men aged 20 to 39,after non-melanoma skin cancer.
Professor Declan Murphy,the director of genitourinary oncology at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre,said the coverage generated by high-profile athletes affected by the disease could encourage young men to seek medical attention when they otherwise might not,due to the personal nature of testicular cancer.
“It’s really welcome for these brave young guys to actually take a decision to reveal their diagnosis because it does help younger fellas who might see a funny lump to feel more confident or less self-conscious about going to have a chat with their doctor about that thing,” Murphy said.
“It does impact young men being[made] aware that this is a condition that can afflict young men and therefore feel those testicles,and if something feels funny,go and get it checked out if[their] favourite footy player recently did.”
The importance of young men being aware of the condition,Murphy said,is due in large part to the way in which testicular cancer is identified.
“The way we diagnose these cancers is almost entirely due to young men just noticing on self-examination that one testicle feels a bit different to how it used to feel,or a small lump is now developing in the testicle,and usually with no pain.”