It has been a difficult year for Hogan, who lost his father, Tony, to a long battle with cancer just last month.
Jesse Hogan cancer scare a wake-up call for all men
About Conrad_Natoli
Perth-based writer with a love of all things media, pop culture, food and wine.
The Western Australian, who many predict to become one of the AFL’s best forwards, is taking indefinite leave to recover following surgery to remove the tumour.
Hogan is expected to make a full recovery and could return to football within two months if his recovery goes to plan, according to Melbourne doctor Zeeshan Arain.
But that a 22-year-old in peak physical fitness could receive such a diagnosis has delivered a wake-up call to men everywhere.
However, despite common opinion, testicular cancer occurs most often in men aged 20–40, with the average age of diagnosis being 35.
About 740 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year (about one percent of all cancers in Australian men) and Hogan’s hyper-awareness meant he was always likely to catch any change in his testicles.
The message to men of all ages is that early detection can lead to a full recovery and, while it is an uncomfortable issue for many, there are some simple steps anyone can follow to stay healthy.
It is important to know the symptoms and, while they may not be present in all cases, changes men may notice include:
• Swelling or a lump in the testicle (usually painless)
• A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
• Change in the size or shape of the testicle (e.g. hardness or swelling)
• A feeling of unevenness
• aches or pain in the lower abdomen, testicle or scrotum
• enlargement or tenderness of the breast tissue
• back pain
• stomach-aches
These symptoms don’t necessarily mean you have testicular cancer. They are common to other conditions, such as cysts.
However, if you have any of these symptoms, you should have them checked by your doctor without delay. Who knows, it may just lead to same positive diagnosis of Jesse Hogan.
Your rating