Evaluation of Testicular Self Examination and Testicular Partner Examination in Medical versus Non-Medical Students

Abstract

Objectives: Although testicular cancer (TC) is the most common tumor in young men in Western countries, there is no official cancer detection/screening program for young men in Germany. The most important TC detection tool is self-examination of the testis. Hypothetically medical students may have a diagnosis lead time and detection superiority. This study was designed to analyze whether medical students have a possible knowledge advantage over students of other faculties concerning TC and to compare male and female cancer screening demeanor and mentality. Methods: Male and female students of various faculties at the Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Germany were invited to participate in this internet-based anonymous questionnaire with questions about TC awareness/knowledge, testicular (self) examination, and cancer screening behavior. Results: In total 1,049 students (329 medical and 716 non-medical students) completed the questionnaire. In general, medical students had a significantly higher TC knowledge, especially in the more advanced stages of their medical studies (year 3-6). About 50% of medical students had knowledge of TC whereas only 21.3% of non-medical students knew about the disease (p < 0.01). In addition, medical students conducted scrotal examinations more frequently (34.7%) than non-medical students (18.8%). Conclusion: The knowledge about TC is low among students. In general, medical students are more aware of TC and perform more frequent testicular examinations compared to non-medical students. Female TC knowledge rises in the clinical part of studies to the same level as their male counterparts, with the result of more testicular partner examinations.

Attitudes about Testicular Self-Examination among Polish Males

“…To summarize, TC-educated women could act as a motivator for TSE or could also actively perform the testicular examination. The above hypothesis was confirmed in our study and also in the studies performed by Vallo et al and Braga et al [ 16 , 30 ]. Therefore, we think that multi-pronged efforts of the medical community to prevent malignant tumors of male organs should also take into account the female gender.…”

“…This study highlighted that higher level of knowledge among participants was correlated with higher awareness of TC and more frequent TSE practice. Analogous results were confirmed in a German population study where authors also found that medical students had a significantly higher TC knowledge than non-medical students [ 16 ]. In addition, medical students conducted TSE more frequently (34.7%) than non-medical students (18.8%).…”

“…Knowledge of and awareness about TC and TSE among men world-wide is low [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. It is proven that cancer-related awareness improvement requires multi-pronged measures, including primarily conducting campaigns and educational programs for the society and a proper training system for health care professionals [ 18 ].…”

Awareness of testicular cancer among adult Polish men and their tendency for prophylactic self-examination: conclusions from Movember 2020 event

“…It showed that the level of knowledge about TC among students of the medical faculty was higher than among students of other faculties. This is analogical with the conclusions obtained by Polish researchers [ 20 ].…”

Selbstuntersuchung von Hoden und Brust – eine retrospektive Kohortenstudie an Medizinstudierenden

“…Studienjahrs, die bereits an der Urologie-Vorlesung teilgenommen hatten, eingeflossen sind. In diesem Kollektiv kann man daher davon ausgehen, dass das Wissen über Hodenkrebs, Vorsorge und das Verständnis für Gesundheitsverhalten höher ist als in der Allgemeinbevölkerung und auch im Vergleich zu Studierenden anderer Fächer [ 8 , 23 ]. Dementsprechend unterstreichen die Ergebnisse dieser Analyse, dass ein hohes Bildungsniveau an sich und insbesondere spezifisches medizinisches Wissen die Bereitschaft zur regelmäßigen Selbstuntersuchung bestärken kann.…”