Cancer in Men: Checked Your Balls Today?

Testicular Cancer kills an estimated 350 men a year.

Another 8200 men with a median age between 20 and 34 will discover they are new cancer patients, within the next year. Testicular self exam helps you become more familiar with your testicles while checking for symptoms of testicular cancer.

What are testicles?

The testicles are a part of the male reproductive system. They are also called the testes; one testicle is called a testis. In adult males, these 2 organs are each normally somewhat smaller than a golf ball. They are contained within a sac of skin called the scrotum, which hangs beneath the base of the penis.The testicles make male hormones, mostly testosterone. They also make sperm. Sperm cells go from the testicle to a coiled tube inside the scrotum (the epididymis) where they are stored. Sperm travel from the epididymis through the vas deferens to the seminal vesicles, where they are mixed with fluid from the prostate gland. During ejaculation, sperm cells, seminal vesicle fluid, and prostatic fluid enter the urethra and go out the tip of the penis. The urethra is the tube in the center of the penis through which urine or semen leave the body.

How to do quick testicular self-exam

The best time to do the self-exam is during or after a bath or shower, when the skin of the scrotum is relaxed. To do a testicular self-exam:

• Hold your penis out of the way and check one testicle at a time.
• Hold the testicle between your thumbs and fingers of both hands and roll it gently between your fingers.
• Look and feel for any hard lumps or smooth rounded bumps or any change in the size, shape, or consistency of the testes.