Awareness of Testicular Cancer and Testicular Self-Examination among Men in Bahrain

Abstract

Introduction: Although testicular cancer (TC) is a rare tumor accounting for 1% of malignancies in men, it is the most common cancer found in adolescents and young men between 15 to 35 years old. Routine screening for TC is not recommended. Therefore, testicular self-examination (TSE) is an important tool for the early detection of TC. If detected early, TC has a high survival rate. Increasing awareness of TC and TSE is crucial for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. We aimed to assess the level of awareness of TC and TSE among men in Bahrain. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to recruit a convenience sample of 243 men from public places using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were conducted.Results: The results showed that 43% were Bahraini, 53% were aware that men can get TC, 82% perceived themselves as having a low risk for developing TC, 15% knew signs of TC, 20% heard about TSE, and 5.8% reported performing TSE. A significant association between knowledge of early signs and symptoms of TC and nationality (p = .006), perception of the importance of performing TSE regularly and nationality (p = .003), and between age (p = .013), level of education (p = .015) and the willingness to perform TSE if the participant was educated about TSE.Conclusion: Awareness about TC and TSE is poor among men in Bahrain. Policymakers in the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health may consider integrating TC and TSE education in the curriculum and the healthcare provided to adolescents and young men across the kingdom.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice regarding Testicular Cancer and Testicular Self-Examination among Male Students Pursuing Bachelor’s Degree in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, Chitwan, Nepal

“…In the current study, out of 402 respondents, the majority (56.7%) of the respondents had poor knowledge. This finding is in line with other study findings from (53%) Ethiopia [ 14 ] and (53%) Bahrain [ 15 ]. This was lower than other related studies conducted (90%) in London [ 16 ] and (61.36%) in Saudi Arabia[ 11 ], although it is greater than the study findings (44%) from Turkey [ 17 ] and (41.2%) Uganda [ 6 ].…”

“…This finding is supported by the study done in (36.45%) the USA [ 6 ], and it is higher than other related studies done (26.5%) in Ethiopia [ 8 ], (15.3%) Nigeria [ 12 ], and (6%) Bahrain [ 15 ]. Consequently, 58.4% of respondents said that they do not know how to perform TSE, which is lower than the study done in (73%) Bahrain [ 15 ], (83.4%) Turkey [ 18 ], and (62%) Ethiopia [ 14 ] and higher than the study findings (31.5%) from Uganda [ 6 ]. In this study, only 5.9% said that they think that doing TSE is a sin or taboo.…”

“…In this study, only 11.4% of the respondents practiced testicular self-examination, and this finding is similar to the study done in (11.38%) Saudi Arabia [ 11 ]. This was lower than other related studies conducted (66.7%) in Malaysia [ 20 ], (23.6%) Uganda [ 17 ], (21.5%) Northeast Ethiopia [ 11 ], and (22%) London [ 16 ], although it is greater than the study conducted (5.8%) in Bahrain [ 15 ]. These variabilities might be due to the study population, the number of practice questions, and the level of awareness of respondents on TC and TSE.…”

Intervene to Improve: Awareness of Testicular Self-Examination and Testicular Cancer Among Male Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan

“…There was no definitive knowledge about the prevalence of testicular cancer among various age groups in majority of the subjects under consideration, risk factors, early presentation, and tools for early prevention. All of these findings are consistent with previous literature on awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward TC [2,[13][14][15].…”

“…This result is comparable with the findings of another study showing 71% of non-performers of TSE had actually no knowledge of its method and significance. Still another Bahraini study highlights lack of education as the most common reason for inability to perform TSE among 73% individuals [ 10 , 14 ]. At the same time, 8.6% participants were hesitant due to religious norms, in contrast to a previous study that suggests sociocultural and religious norms and fear of detecting cancerous lumps could affect most subjects [ 7 ].…”