Cancer survivor urges men to ‘know thy nuts’

Nearly one third of men in Ireland don’t know how to check their testicles for early signs of testicular cancer.

This is one of many messages that Cork cancer survivor Stephen Spillane wants to share this April, which is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.

During Covid-19 lockdown in August 2020, Stephen noticed a lump on his right testicle. Alarmed, he turned to his partner, a nurse, who urged him to call his doctor immediately.

Navigating a cancer diagnosis is tough at the best of times but doing it in isolation during a global pandemic was another level, recalled Stephen.

“I have a vivid memory of this. The doctor said, ‘Yeah, that is a cancerous lump,’ and I got very upset. I could tell he wanted to put a hand out as a reassuring thing to do but he couldn’t due to Covid,” said Stephen.

Alone at every appointment, Stephen moved quickly through the health system from an ultrasound, to meeting his consultant, to surgery. Within a week, his testicle was removed and today he considers himself one of the lucky ones.

“I didn't have to go through chemo or anything like that, and not everyone is that lucky,” he said.

Even though he was aware of the importance of checking the signs and symptoms, Stephen was impacted by the stories of the young men he met during his journey. “One of the things that struck home for me was the man opposite men in hospital, only 16, going through this,” he said.

“Whatever happens to me, I can deal with, but at that age, it’s ‘Wow’, how do you deal with it?” added Stephen.

Now 39 and in remission, the Cork native has witnessed some positive outcomes from his experience, with his cousins and friends revealing that they are checking themselves more regularly now.

“A cousin of mine did actually find something worrying but thankfully not cancer, but if that hadn’t happened to me, he wouldn’t have caught it,” he said.

Despite the terrifying ordeal he faced, Stephen kept up his sense of humour throughout and has since received a prosthetic replacement for his removed testicle.

Research commissioned by global men’s health charity Movember in 2024 across 1,000 men in Ireland found that more than two thirds (62%) weren’t aware that testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men aged 15-40.

Alarmingly, nearly half of the men questioned admitted that they were only “somewhat” confident about knowing how to check their testicles, with just 21% saying they probably wouldn’t go to a doctor unless their testicles were really painful.

This April, Movember wants to encourage more men to 'Know Thy Nuts' by visiting us.movember.com and learning how to properly check themselves.

Professor Simon Rice, Global Director of the Movember Institute of Men’s Health said: “The simplest action that young men can take is to get to know their nuts.

“That way, if they notice any changes over time, they can get it checked by a doctor. When caught early, testicular cancer is highly treatable.”