Movember – Men’s health awareness month.
3rd November 2025
In this article we are going to talk about testicular cancer but please do visit our other articles on Men’s health and Prostate cancer.
Testicular Cancer – what all men need to know.
Whilst testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15-45 in the UK, it remains a rare form of cancer only accounting for about 1% of all male cancers.
There are about 2,300 new cases diagnosed each year and the survival rate is high with over 96% of diagnosed men surviving for over 10 years.
Key symptoms include a lump or swelling in the testicle, or a dull ache, pain, or heaviness in the scrotum.
It is commonest in men aged 30-34 years.
All men should check their testes on a monthly basis. This is really important in order to pick up early changes.
https://nutsandbolts.movember.com/testicular-cancer-journey/found-lump-pain-swelling/
The anatomy:
The testes sit in the scrotum and have other structures around them such as the epididymis and blood vessels. The left testes tends to sit lower than the right and one of your testicles may be slightly larger than the other. This can be normal.
A testicular cancer presents as a lump attached to the smooth egg-shaped testicle.
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If you do notice a lump or swelling or asymmetry between the two testicles then you should see a GP so they can check for you. You should not be embarrassed to see a GP for this because it is very important and a GP will be able to determine if a lump is likely to be cancer or something else.
If your doctor feels a lump or abnormality, they will refer you for an ultrasound scan to look at the area in more detail. This is a painless investigation similar to what pregnant women have to see the baby whilst it is in the womb.
Early detection means better survival so if you are worried about a testicular lump see a medical professional immediately.