Now to testicular cancer. It's the second most common cancer, after lung cancer, in younger Australian men, those aged 20 to 40. No-one knows why. A major risk factor is having an undescended testicle in childhood, and the illness sometimes runs in families. Heat, injury, and tight underpants may also contribute.
Treatment often requires removal of the testicle and high dose chemotherapy.
For men in young adulthood, it's a drastic interruption to their lives. My name is Peter Walker, I'm 36 years old. I used to drive trucks for a living, but at the moment I'm a patient at the hospital. I was lethargic for probably a month or so prior to finding out. You don't take any notice of it, and you think it's just stress and things like that from work.