What Are The Key Things To Know About Testicular Examination?

July 1, 2009— -- Question: What are the key things to know about testicular examination?

Answer: The testicular examination is very important for the detection and screening for testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is a rare cancer comprising only 1 percent of the total cancers in men. However, this is most common in young men between the ages of 18 and 35.

By examining the testicles we can pick up abnormalities of the testicles. They include hardness or lumps, shrinking of the testicles and other problems. This examination is very important in making a diagnosis of testicular cancer, and we recommend that for men who are in the appropriate age groups. It's important to remember that the testicles are involved in the male sex reproductive activities, including the production of testosterone and the production of sperm. Any activities that can go awry with the testicles can certainly affect the man's potency. So therefore, this examination is very important. It is mildly controversial in the sense that the U.S. Preventative Services Taskforce -- an advisory board to the U.S. government -- has felt that doing this particular examination does not improve the mortality of men who have this disease. Testicular cancer is so easily treated that most men who develop it are successfully treated with chemotherapy. Nonetheless, many of those physicians who deal with men's health issues recommend that this exam be done as part of a routine screening.