Charley Boorman’s brush with testicular cancer
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To mark Movember, a charity initiative held throughout November to raise awareness of men's health issues, adventurer Charley Boorman reveals how he discovered his own cancer
Charley Boorman gives an affectionate pat to Ziggi, the springer spaniel sitting at his side, and says: "It's thanks to him and my wife that I'm alive."
The adventurer and biker, famous for his televised travels both on his own and with best friend Ewan McGregor in TV series such as Long Way Round, has survived numerous crashes and mishaps on the road, and despite them all, he felt fighting fit, apart from one small, niggling problem.
But in January last year, his wife of 24 years, Olivia, took their dog to the vet for his annual check-up. The vet raised concern that one of the dog's testicles was harder than the other, which could be a sign of testicular cancer.
"By pure coincidence, a few weeks before that I'd mentioned a similar change in one of mine to Ollie.
"Now and then I'd get a throbbing ache there, a bit like after you've been kicked where it hurts," says Boorman, who's currently touring in his Charley Boorman Live UK Tour.
"It wasn't really that painful, though, and I'd dismissed it as just one of those aches and pains you get now and again and ignored it.
"In common with many men I was pretty hopeless about having check-ups and had never given much thought to testicular cancer."
Boorman, 45, is revealing his experience to support Movember - a charity initiative that takes place in November where men worldwide raise funds and awareness of men's health issues and cancers which affect them, specifically testicular and prostate cancer.
Clean-shaven men are sponsored to grow moustaches during the month and last year, in the UK, £11.7 million was raised for cancer charities.
"Ollie came straight back from the vets and insisted I get myself checked out and even then I still wasn't alarmed," he says.
"Reluctantly, I went to the GP and he immediately took it incredibly seriously and everything moved very quickly."
Around 2,100 cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK.
There are two main types: seminomas are found commonly in men aged between 35 and 45, and account for around 45% of cases; and most of the rest are mixtures of different types of non-seminoma testicular cancers.
Investigation involves an ultrasound scan and a blood test to check for hormones or proteins linked to testicular cancer. If there are abnormal levels of these markers in the blood, doctors can gauge the likelihood of testicular cancer.
Boorman, who lives in London, was diagnosed with a seminoma in his right testicle, and within a week he was successfully treated by having one testicle removed, and opted to have it replaced with a silicon prosthetic.
He had one chemotherapy treatment and now has regular precautionary check-ups.
"When I first heard the diagnosis, I did, of course, have some dark moments of, 'This is it, I've had it'. It brought back terrible memories of my lovely elder sister, Telsche, who died 14 years ago at the age of 34 from ovarian cancer," he says.
"But I was so lucky that my cancer was detected in good time - nowadays it's very curable. My doctor said I should look at it as an inconvenience and not a lifestyle change, and that's proved to be the case. I feel completely fine and everything's in good working order!"
Boorman, whose new Channel 5 series Extreme Frontiers: Canada broadcasts in December, says: "Men often don't want to talk about their private bits and would rather ignore any problems because of embarrassment.
"I just hope I can go some way to changing that attitude by talking about my own situation because checking can save your life. I've told all my mates to regularly check themselves, including my best mate Ewan.
"It's such a simple thing to do, and is just the same as women checking their breasts."
The father of two teenage daughters, Doone and Kinvara, adds: "If it hadn't been for Ziggy I would probably have put off going to the doctor and things could have been very different. But I've been given the all clear, Ziggi's also fine, and now the most spoiled dog in Britain!"
TESTICULAR CANCER - CHECK IT OUT
:: The most common symptom of testicular cancer is a lump or swelling in one of your testicles. Testicular lumps are most commonly found on the front or the side of the testicle. They often feel like a hard, pea-sized swelling.
:: Never ignore a lump or a swelling in your testicle. It is very important to visit your GP as soon as you notice any lump or swelling.
:: As well as a lump or swelling, testicular cancer can also cause other symptoms including: a dull ache or sharp pain in your testicles or scrotum, which may come and go; a feeling of heaviness in your scrotum; a dull ache in your lower abdomen (stomach area); a sudden collection of fluid in your scrotum; fatigue; and a general feeling of being unwell.
:: Your GP will examine your testicles to help determine whether or not the lump is cancerous. Most testicular lumps are not a sign of cancer. For example, varicoceles (swollen blood vessels) are a common cause of testicular lumps.
:: Research has shown that less than 4% of testicular lumps are cancerous. In the unlikely event that you do have testicular cancer, the sooner treatment begins, the greater the likelihood that you will be completely cured.
