Testicular Cancer Awareness and Screening Practices: A Systematic Review

Purpose/Objectives: To critically appraise empirical evidence gathered from studies that (a) explored men’s knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward testicular cancer (TC) and its screening; (b) addressed their testicular self-examination (TSE) practice; and/or (c) highlighted barriers and facilitators to this practice.

Data Sources: MEDLINE®, CINAHL®, and EMBASE®.

Data Synthesis: 25 articles met the inclusion criteria. Knowledge deficits regarding TC and its screening were seen. Participants who did not perform TSE often were uninformed about this practice. The majority of men perceived TC education as a positive step toward raising awareness about this malignancy.

Conclusions: Very few men were informed about TC and TSE. Future studies should include valid and reliable tools to assess TC knowledge and screening, address the means through which TC knowledge is delivered, explore the individual’s experience with TC screening, and focus on TC awareness and screening among minority groups.

Implications for Nursing: Although regular screening for TC is a controversial issue, nurses should encourage young men to seek medical attention in the event of discovering scrotal abnormalities.