Testicular versus breast and colorectal cancer screening: early detection practices of primary care physicians.

Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor among men 20 to 34 years old, and it accounts for one of every seven deaths in late adolescent and young adult men. However, studies during the past 20 years continue to show that a majority of men in the most vulnerable ages are unaware of their risk for testicular cancer, deny having had testicular examinations as a part of their routine physical assessments, and lack knowledge of testicular self-examination techniques. This descriptive study used a mailed questionnaire and evaluated self-reported testicular cancer detection behaviors among primary care physicians (N = 116). Breast exams and colorectal screening were included for masking and comparative purposes. Forty-nine percent of the physicians reported routinely performing age-appropriate testicular exams on patients, in contrast to performing breast (83%) and colorectal exams (68%). Instructing male patients to perform testicular self-examination was reported as a routine procedure by 29%, and breast exams were taught routinely by 86% of the physicians. Providing an opportunity for patients to give a return demonstration of the technique was reported 16% of the time for breast self-examination and 4% of the time for testicular self-examination. Teaching patients to do appropriate self-examinations can enhance the provider-client partnership in the provision of healthcare. When providers do not teach the patient to perform self-examinations, a valuable opportunity is missed.