One Ball At A Time
- FP
- Jun 17, 2018
- 3 min read
Baseball fans are well aware that the Padres, and the other MLB clubs, talk about Breast Cancer prevention and detection on Mother's Day. Everything, including me, was pink that day- although my outfit was closer to magenta.
My sister-in-law just defeated breast cancer this past December and it was early detection, via self exam, that has now left her cancer free.
I know good and well that cancer can strike at any moment and to anyone. Just look at our Hall of Fame caliber play-by-play radio man Ted Leitner who just had surgery because of a kidney cancer scare. No one is immune from the ravages of cancer.
Cancer is not just a disease for adults. So many children, each year, die from cancer. My own son died in 2002, a month short of his 15th birthday from lymphatic cancer that was sadly caught too late. So early prevention and cancer awareness are clearly big deals for me.
I am sure that you noticed I am purple today for Father's Day. There is a good reason why.
Even though we have Father's Day's game in Atlanta I still wanted to go purple and talk about testicular cancer prevention.
The ribbon color is purple (officially orchid) and that is why I am dressed in purple today. And this post is not just for adults.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "testicular cancer is the most common cancer in American males between the ages of 15 and 35."
This suggests that not only should men do a self-check monthly they should also speak to their sons 15 and older about this cancer and self-checking. Some sources suggest that father's talk to their sons about this when the boys become pubescent.
According to National Cancer Institute this type of cancer is relatively rare compared to more well known cancers including prostate cancer. Their web page lists the statics about testicular cancer.
Again according to the Mayo Clinic :
Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer include:
A lump or enlargement in either testicle
A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
A dull ache in the abdomen or groin
A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum
Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum
Enlargement or tenderness of the breasts
Back pain
Cancer usually affects only one testicle.
This year, an estimated 8,850 men in the United States will be diagnosed with testicular cancer. For men ages 15-44, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer. The average age of diagnosis is 33, but 7% of cases are diagnosed in men 55 or older and 7% of cases are diagnosed in boys and adolescents.
For unknown reasons, the number of testicular cancer cases has increased for the past 40 years. However, death rates continue to slowly decline.
It is estimated that about 410 deaths from this disease will occur this year. These deaths are either from cancer that spread from the testicles to other parts of the body and could not be effectively treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or surgery or from complications from treatment.
The 5-year survival rate tells you what percent of men live at least 5 years after the cancer is found. Percent means how many out of 100. The 5-year survival rate for men with testicular cancer is 95%.
The survival rate is higher for men diagnosed with early-stage cancer and lower for men with later-stage cancer. For men with cancer that has not spread beyond the testicles (Stage 1; see Stages), the survival rate is 99%. Approximately 68% of men are diagnosed at this stage.
For men with cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes in the back of the abdomen, called the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, the survival rate is about 96%. But, this depends on the size of the lymph nodes with cancer. For men with cancer that has spread outside the testicles to areas beyond the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, the survival rate is 73%. About 11% of testicular cancer is diagnosed at this stage.
A note to Father's: Don't feel shameful or creepy about talking to your son about this cancer and how to self check. This is important and a medical issue so no shame should be involved.
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