Men’s health starts with the courage to get checked and seek help

“I joke that I even look better now than before the surgery,” says Lukas, who doesn’t lack optimism and a positive perspective on his situation after being diagnosed with testicular cancer a year ago. Cancer is still often surrounded by fear, myths, and feelings of shame—especially when it comes to men’s health. One of those topics is testicular cancer. It is rarely discussed, and its symptoms often go unnoticed or are ignored. However, every early diagnosis is an opportunity to continue living a full, quality life, and men’s health begins with the courage to get checked and seek help.

In Lukas’ (name changed) story, it was an entirely innocent symptom and inner attentiveness and awareness that encouraged him to see a doctor in time. The educational campaign “Check Your Balls,” which was launched exactly a year ago, also played a significant role.

What symptoms made you consult a urologist? What caused concern?
Even though, due to work, I was constantly surrounded by doctors and pharmaceutical professionals and often had to delve into topics related to health and diseases, I had never thought about the symptoms of testicular cancer. It all started with a rather harmless symptom—more frequent urination. Exactly a year ago in April, I kept seeing clips from the “Check Your Balls” campaign and thought, “I’ll go talk to a urologist, I haven’t gone in a while.” The visit ended with unexpected news: one of the testicles looked unusual. Even though in the past, doctors assured me that complications left from mumps in childhood wouldn’t cause problems, this time was different. The diagnosis: malignant testicular cancer. Luckily, the disease was detected very early.

How did you feel when you received the diagnosis?
It took a little time to accept, but at the same time, I wanted to act quickly and get in touch with doctors. It’s very important not to remain in that emotional state or think in black-and-white terms. Staying positive is important in life in general, and when facing illness it becomes even more important. You shouldn’t allow yourself to stay in negative emotions too long, or to invent pessimistic scenarios. Act, do your daily things, don’t isolate yourself from people, and don’t let yourself wait for something bad to happen.

What changed after the diagnosis?
Essentially, nothing: I always worked, felt well, my sexual function remained normal. The next morning after surgery, I already had an erection. I live like I used to—I exercise, work, travel. The only difference is that now, before buying plane tickets or planning something big, I want to get checked and make sure everything is okay. There’s this anxiety that lasts between check-ups. Of course, there’s also a tendency to exaggerate sensations. If something hurts even slightly, I get really anxious. But then I visit the doctor, hear that everything is fine, and the pain disappears.

Was the treatment process difficult?
Fortunately, the disease was caught very early. I had surgery on Friday, and by Monday I was already home. In total, I was only away from work for a week. I didn’t need chemotherapy or any other long-term treatment—just regular monitoring every few months. The only unpleasant part was that sometimes there would be pain at the incision site. In my case, during the same surgery, they removed the testicle and inserted an implant. At first, everyone was focused on treatment, and I thought, “Why would I need that?” But now I’m glad I chose it. I suggest others in a similar situation not to dismiss the option of a testicular implant. It’s more of a self-esteem and psychological thing. I joke that now it even looks better than before the surgery.

How did your family and colleagues react when they found out you were facing this disease?
Among my close ones, I felt only support and understanding.

What would you advise other men based on your experience?
The most important thing is not to lose vigilance. Thinking in black and white terms is also very harmful in this situation. We men tend to ignore symptoms. Maybe because I work in the health field, I’ve developed a certain awareness and go see doctors. Maybe not always necessarily, but it’s better to go for a consultation over something minor and leave with confirmation that everything is fine, than to die. This time I went—and they caught testicular cancer. Otherwise, I might have ignored it until the disease progressed, leading to more complex treatment and worse outcomes. Even though testicular cancer, even in later stages, often responds well to treatment and medicine is advancing—still, the earlier you notice and take action, the simpler the treatment and the better the chances of recovery. It’s completely normal to examine yourself and to see a doctor if you notice something unusual. Don’t delay. What seems like a small thing could actually determine your quality of life—or even your life itself.