The disease is testicular cancer. Dr. Lawrence Burkert, a hematology oncologist with Elmbrook Internal Medicne in Brookfield, said that most men discover testicular cancer themselves. While cancer of the male reproductive system is not a prospect most guys like to contemplate, the fact is that all men are vulnerable below the belt. Those are red flags to go get yourself checked out. Testicular cancer is the leading form of cancer among men under age 40, although it accounts for only about one percent of all cancers in men.
Testicular cancer is a disease caused by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the testicle.
This uncontrolled growth causes a lump of cells, or tumor, to form. Sometimes cells from the tumor can break away and spread to other parts of the body, making it malignant. And more deadly. Any man can get testicular cancer, Burkert said, but it is more common in white men than in black men and tends to be rare in Asian men. Seminomas make up about 30 percent of all testicular cancers, while non-seminomas are a group of cancers that include choriocarcinoma, embryonal carcinoma, teratoma and yolk sac tumors.