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Medical Author:

Scott E Eggener, MD

Coauthor:

Steven C Campbell, MD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Testicular Cancer Prevention

There is no known way to prevent testicular cancer.

All men (specifically those 18-44 years of age) should perform monthly testicular self-examinations. The point of these examinations is not to find a cancer but to get familiar with how your testicles feel so that you will notice if something changes.

• The best time to do the exam is after a warm bath or shower, when the muscles are most relaxed.



• Stand in front of a mirror that allows full view of the scrotum.



• Examine each testicle, one at a time.



• Use two hands: Hold the testicle between the thumbs and first two fingers of both hands, with the thumbs in front and the fingers behind. Gently roll the testicle around between these fingers, carefully feeling the testicle and the cord, trying not to miss a spot.



• Locate the epididymis, the soft tube at the back of each testicle that carries the sperm. Learn to recognize it.



• Men should not feel any pain during the exam.



• If a person finds anything that alarms or concerns them, have it checked out by a primary-care provider or a urologist.



• If anyone has trouble with the exam, ask a health-care provider how to do the correct method of self-exam of the testicles.