Health

'GP told me I had an STI – but then I almost died on worst night of my life'


It was only when Paul Hunter was curled up in agony on his bedroom floor and unable to move that he decided he’d finally had enough.

After months of pain and numerous trips to his GP, where he had been given antibiotics for a sexually transmitted infection, the Cardiff-based marketing manager, now 29, asked his parents to drive him straight to A&E.

Once there, Paul had an ultrasound and a CT scan before he was given the devastating news that he had stage 3 testicular cancer.

“I’d heard of it because I knew what had happened to cyclist Lance Armstrong but I didn’t realise it could be so serious,” says Paul of his diagnosis in December 2014.

“By the time I was diagnosed, the tumour was squashing my left testicle. There was also a large mass which was crushing one of my kidneys and had begun to wrap itself around an artery.

Paul was eventually given the devastating news he had testicular cancer

 

“The tumour in my abdomen was a teratoma – a rare type of germ cell tumour which is made up of several different types of tissue, such as hair, muscle or bone. There were also multiple tumours in my lungs.”

He describes that night as the worst of his life. “I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me,” he recalls.

“I assumed that there was nothing that could be done. At the time, I was in a serious relationship and I wanted kids, so it was devastating to be facing surgery. Fortunately, I was able to bank my sperm beforehand – although that isn’t a conversation you expect to be having with your partner when you’re 25.”

Paul was initially given medication for an STI

 

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men, with around 2,300 cases – more than six every day – in the UK each year.

Although survival rates are high (at over 95%), up to one in 20 cases is fatal.

Incidence rates for the disease are projected to rise by 12% in the UK between 2014 and 2035, according to figures compiled by Cancer Research UK.

“Testicular cancer has increased quite dramatically over the last 30 years, although the rate seems to be plateauing,” says Professor Clare Turnbull, senior researcher at Institute of Cancer Research.

“The reasons for this are poorly understood, although environmental factors may be involved.”

Symptoms include a lump or pain in the testicle, an increase in size or a change in the way it feels, although the symptoms can be vague or vary.

Most cases are diagnosed via the two-week referral route through a GP. However, around
10% of cases in England are diagnosed after presenting as an emergency, almost half of those in A&E, as in Paul’s case.

Recent research by Movember has shown that 69% of men in the UK aged 18-34 don’t know they are in the age group most at risk of getting testicular cancer and therefore may not be checking regularly.

The poll of 1,093 British men conducted by YouGov, also found that 60% of men in that age group didn’t know how to self-check. The charity is now urging men to carry out regular self-checks, as early diagnosis is key to successful treatment.

“It appears that many young men assume testicular cancer is more of an older man’s disease,” says Owen Sharp, CEO of men’s health charity the Movember Foundation. “But in reality, it’s the most common cancer among young men.”

But although Paul had been vigilant, found the lump and reported to his GP straight away, he was treated for a bacterial infection for four months.

STIs such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea can cause tenderness and a build-up of fluid around the testicles which feels like a lump or swelling.

“This involved some tricky conversations with my girlfriend,” admits Paul. “I just knew it wasn’t the cause though but was tested for STIs on three occasions over four months.”

Days after his diagnosis, Paul had surgery to remove his left testicle, followed by two months of chemotherapy, then an operation to remove the tumour in his abdomen.

He says: “I was amazed how quickly I recovered – I was back at work after about a month – but mentally, I struggled to cope.

“When you’ve written letters to your family and partner because you might not survive an operation and picked out the music you want played at your funeral, it takes you to some pretty dark places.” I also suffered from ‘survivor guilt’.

Counselling and opening up to a few close friends helped Paul to come to terms with his ordeal.

“I do feel a certain amount of resentment over how long it took to diagnose my cancer,” he says.

“My message to men my age is to check yourself and if something isn’t right, go to the doctor.”

TESTICULAR CANCER – WHO IS AT RISK?

  • Testicular cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in young men with those between the ages of 18 and 34 in the highest risk group.
  • Men with undescended testes at birth, or those who have a family history such as a father or brother who have had the disease, are at a higher risk.
  • Those who have had the disease once are at greater risk of it recurring.
  • It is not clearly linked to any preventable risk factors such as diet, smoking or a sedentary lifestyle.

  • Testicular cancer is more common in white men than in black or Asian men.

For more information and to sign up for monthly self-check reminder emails visit
  Movember.com/knowthynuts

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