By Dr. Rahim Habib ND

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month and this article will outline some important facts and useful tips on early detection and prevention. Even though it can be found in men of all ages, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men between 15-35 years of age. The number of cases found each year has been increasing over the last several decades: approximately 8500 cases in the United States and 1000 in Canada. The good news is that if it is caught early and treated, it has a 95% success rate for survival. Most often testicular cancer is detected by men themselves, commonly as a painless lump. One of the best ways to detect it early is to learn how to check your own testicles (see below).

How to check yourself

One of the most effective ways to be proactive about your health is to build self-awareness skills. This basically means being able to notice changes in yourself: mentally, emotionally, physically, etc. Regarding testicular cancer, learn to physically check your own testicles every month so you can notice changes. Here are some guidelines from the American and Canadian Cancer Societies:

‣ The best time to check is after bathing/showering in warm water
‣ With your thumb and index finger, gently grasp each testicle and roll it between the fingers
‣ Look and feel for any hard lumps or smooth rounded lumps or any change in size, shape and consistency of the testicles

It’s normal for your testicles to be slightly different sizes and for one to hang lower than the other. On one side of each testicle is a coiled tube (epididymis) which is commonly confused for a lump. If you’re not sure, or if you feel there’s been a change, check with your doctor for a professional evaluation.

4 tips for prevention of testicular cancer

Most of the established risk factors for testicular cancer cannot be modified, however, there are a few possible risk factors that you can make changes to work in your favour.

1. Reduce use of or consumption of pesticides. One simple way to do this is to choose organic food. Studies have found that changing to an organic diet quickly and dramatically reduces your pesticide levels found in your blood.
2. Ensure sufficient vitamin D. In 2012, German researchers published a study in the journal Anticancer Research concluding that vitamin D inhibits the growth of testicular cancer in laboratory research and could play an important role. If you’re not sure if you’re getting enough vitamin D, get a blood test to test your level. In general, eating nutritiously and getting regular exercise is proactive and generally associated with cancer prevention.
3. Get surgery to bring down an undescended testicle before onset of puberty.
4. Avoid use of marijuana unless it is medically necessary.