What is World Cancer Day 2019?

World Cancer Day is led by the UICC, the Union for International Cancer Control. World Cancer Day is the one singular initiative under which the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic. No single person, organisation or country is going to beat cancer on its own. We must all work together to make faster progress on our goal of 3 in 4 people surviving cancer by 2034

Cancer Research UK

It is a day when I feel fully entitled to talking bollocks. Actual bollocks. A whole load of balls. I was recently plummeted into a whole world of tests, results, scans and radiologists when a routine check for a loved one turned into something more sinister and I was told that my husband might have cancer.

As someone who has dealt who has a family history of cancer I should have felt a degree of preparation. I have been checking myself for lumps, bumps and changes for years but the truth is when it came to testicular cancer I was woefully uneducated.

As it turned out, my husband was absolutely fine but there was an interim period when we were waiting for test results when I delved into online research and community support groups and this is what I found out –

• Testicular cancer is rare. In the UK around 2,300 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year. That’s about 1 out of every 100 cancers (1%) diagnosed in men.
• Testicular cancer is a younger man’s cancer. Men in their early 30s are the most likely to get it. It then becomes less common as men get older.
• The most common symptom of testicular cancer is a lump or swelling in the scrotum. Most lumps are not cancer but you should definitely go to your GP to get it checked out. Other symptoms include a feeling of heaviness or a feeling of pain or discomfort in the scrotum. It is rare to feel pain due to testicular cancer but again, you should check with your GP.
• Testicular cancer is very treatable – While a cancer diagnosis is always serious, the good news about testicular cancer is that it is treated successfully in 95 percent of cases. If treated early, that number rises to 98 percent.
• Most testicular cancer treatment involves surgery to removed the affected testicle but most men diagnosed with testicular cancer can go on to have children.
• Men between ages 15-35 should conduct a self-examination every month to look for any changes, lumps or bumps.

Today, Monday 4th February, is World Cancer Day. A day that unites people, communities and entire countries to raise awareness and take action against cancer. If you would like to help support Cancer Research then you can buy one of their 2019 Unity bands here.

So go ahead – buy a unity band and engage in a bit of ball play this World Cancer Day and encourage your teenage sons to do the same – as with all cancers early detection is preferable for optimum treatment results.