| Ch 3 | Page 9 / 9 | |
| Cancer screening |
Screening other cancers | |
Most testicular cancers are fortuitously discovered by the patient himself (for instance while taking his shower).
In the past, diagnosis was often made by army doctors during call-up medical visits.
Diagnosis is very simple, based on palpation: every lump in the testis should be investigated by ultrasound and, in the case of doubt, the patient should be referred to a surgeon.
The American Cancer Society recommends teaching male adolescents on how to self examine their testes. However the low incidence of this tumour renders a real screening policy difficult to set up.
The physician should look at the patient’s skin.
A patient with many naevi or brown lesions should be advised of the importance of looking out for (or being regularly checked by a physician) any modifications in order to diagnose a melanoma as quickly as possible.
Some lesions, like Bowen's disease , are true in situ skin cancer on unexposed skin surfaces.
When treating elderly people, the physician should be aware that the so-called benign skin epithelioma may give rise to very aggressive tumours, and should be treated as early as possible.
Some parts of the body skin may also degenerate : prudish attitudes should not prevent a clinical examination of vulvar itching to diagnose vulvar carcinoma , likewise itching or haemorrhage for penis carcinoma .
Dentists may also discover a great number of mouth dysplasia or cancers, but often the subjects involved have poor dental hygiene.
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