Testicular cancer: the role of the primary care physician in prevention and early detection.

Overview

Early detection and screening techniques along with the concept of personal responsibility for one's own health are prominent themes in medical education. Testicular cancer, its natural history, and the current approach to prevention, early detection, and diagnosis are discussed with special emphasis on the role of the primary care physician. Current community and school efforts are described along with the availability of patient education resources. Since the incidence of testicular cancer has doubled in the last 20 years, we must give more attention to educating the public by encouraging primary physicians to incorporate instruction on self-examination of the testicles into regular physical exams.