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Looks like there is a reason for men to start buying pregnancy tests too. A man found out, via a positive pregnancy test, that he had testicular cancer.
The man, whose name has not been disclosed to the public, found an unused pregnancy test that had been left at his home by his ex-girlfriend. As a joke, he decided to pee on it, and was shocked when the results indicated that the test was positive.
He
posted a comic about the experience on Reddit to be humorous, but savvy Reddit users well-versed in oncology urged him to see a doctor. "You may have testicular cancer! Get to an oncologist, tell them you took a pregnancy test and it came out positive," one Reddit user said.
Pregnancy tests check for the presence of a hormone called beta human chorionic gonadotropin. In pregnant women, the hormone appears in the urine and blood as a result of the growing placenta. But other conditions can produce the hormone, beta hCG for short, like some forms of testicular cancer.
Sure enough, the man went to his local physician, where a test revealed that he had a small testicular tumor. The tumor was caught early, fortunately for him, but he may still have to have his testicle removed.
The American Cancer Society says that testicular cancer has an extremely high survival rate. The survival rate for all men with testicular cancer is 95 percent. Even if the cancer has spread to the surrounding lymph nodes or to organs, men have a 72 percent chance of living for at least five additional years, by which time cancer is largely considered cured.
Though a pregnancy test may be a clue, most men discover that they have testicular cancer by finding a painless lump in their testicles. Doctors suggest that men perform self-examinations in the shower to check that everything has remained the same.
LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) is another indicator that can increase either from pregnancy or from cancer. LDH is used in cancer treatment follow-up as an early sign of possible recurrence; I don't remember if that is the case with regard to beta-HCG. Neither indicator will unambiguously tell you that you have cancer.
Self-examination probably makes more sense for detecting testicular cancer. It is simple and free. Unfortunately, it is "just not done" and doctors don't discuss it with their patients.