Abstract LB-64: Hitting Testicular Cancer Where It Hurts: Through Public Awareness and Post-Treatment Support

Abstract

Abstract The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2010 there were 8480 American men diagnosed with testicular cancer. Within this population, the vast majority of those diagnosed were young males between the ages of 15 and 29. Although treatment of this disease has been highly effective, there are two key areas where support is lacking: public awareness and post-treatment care. Many young males that notice something wrong do not seek immediate medical attention due to a lack of education regarding the signs and symptoms of testicular cancer, as well as the embarrassing stigma of this disease. As in all cancer cases, finding and treating this disease early is crucial. Although this group has a high survival rate (bordering on 95%), the goal of early detection is to minimize exposure to harmful treatments and promote survival of all patients. Through the work of The Canadian Testicular Cancer Association, increasing awareness is being addressed in Canada. The goals of this Ontario-based organization are to make people aware of the early warning signs of testicular cancer and to encourage males that suspect something is wrong to seek medical attention. A recent campaign designed to combat these issues occurred last January. ‘Manuary’ is a month-long nationwide awareness campaign, with events occurring throughout the month. The second underrepresented area of support for testicular cancer patients is in post-treatment care. As can be said for many young adult cancers, when patients are diagnosed, their lives are in a stage of transition. This fast-paced transitionary phase can be abruptly stalled with administration of treatment, creating a gap between a patient's pre-cancer life and where they have been left. Many young testicular cancer patients have trouble coping with this issue, creating feelings of isolation and depression. From a patient's stand point, there is a significant lack of support from the health care system in helping them deal with these issues. By creating support groups and making them nationally or even internationally available, the goal is to empower patients to see that they are not alone and develop strategies to overcome these emotions. Through connections within The Canadian Testicular Cancer Association, one-on-one patient interactions have been established. Mr. Buckland's goal is to make these resources easily accessible to all testicular cancer patients in any support group. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-64. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-64