Although other forms of cancer receive far more exposure from the media, testicular cancer poses a threat to the health of men, especially those aged 15 to 34.
Testicular cancer strikes most commonly in this age group and is responsible for 12 percent of the group's cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society estimated 350 men died of testicular cancer in 1993. The same year 6,600 new cases of the disease were diagnosed.
Early detection remains imperative, despite the improvements in treatments for the disease in recent years and the high success rate in curing the disease.
College Health Educator Gabrielle Lucke said men must make a habit of examining their genitals for any signs of tumor growth.
The American Cancer Society recommends men perform self-examinations right after showers or baths, when the scrotum's skin is most relaxed.
Men should spend about one and a half minutes on either testicle, paying special attention to any irregularly hard lumps or nodules.
"Men need to be familiar with their genitals so you can detect changes," Lucke said. "You should know your body well."
The tumor is usually about the size of a pea and there should be a noticeable difference between healthy tissue, which is softer and smoother, and the growth tissue.
If any lumps are discovered, men should seek professional advice right away.
If a man puts off seeking medical help for too long, treatment can become more difficult, and may include the removal of the testicle. The cancer can also spread beyond the testicles.
"Some men procrastinate and don't seek medical attention," Lucke said.
"Many times this is because they are afraid of problems with erections and the capacity to feel pleasure during sex, but there is no correlation between these problems and seeking medical attention," Lucke said.
Several years ago, a diagnosis of testicular cancer meant almost certain death. Today doctors cure about 90 percent of cases, according to an article written by Doug Henderson in the December 1988-January 1989 Food and Drug Administration Consumer Index.
"A lot of times people your age or my age feel pretty immune to that kind of thing, and of course, we aren't, but there is something we can do about it," Assistant Economics Professor Mark Hooker said.
Hooker was diagnosed with testicular cancer a year and a half ago after he went to doctors concerned about a lump he discovered in his right testicle, he said.
Doctors confirmed that the lump was a tumor, and within a week he underwent surgery to have it removed, Hooker said.
Following the initial surgery, Hooker received a variety of blood tests, cat scans and x-rays to insure the cancer was not spreading. A month and a half later, Hooker had major surgery to remove lymph tissue.
Had the cancer spread, the lymph tissue would have been the first area affected.
All test results turned up negative. "They considered mine to be one that was caught pretty early," he said.
Dartmouth is not unfamiliar with testicular cancer.
Brian Hayes '90 drew national attention to the effects of testicular cancer in a story in The New York Times Magazine in March 1990, which chronicled his own fight with the disease.
Hayes died in August 1992, only six credits short of graduating, but received a posthumous degree from the College in June of 1993.
