Bakgrund: Testikelcancer uppkommer främst hos män under 35 års ålder. Mortaliteten har minskat i de flesta länder samtidigt som incidensen beräknas att öka. Orsaken till insjuknandet av testikelcancer är okänd. En knöl i testikeln är oftast det vanligaste symtomet på testikelcancer. Sjuksköterskor beskrev en brist i kunskap angående testikelcancer. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva patienters upplevelser av testikelcancer. Metod: Arbetet genomfördes som en allmän litteraturstudie. Datainsamlingen utfördes i tre databaser med inriktning på omvårdnadsforskning. Vetenskaplig kvalitet bedömdes och innehållsgranskningar genomfördes vilket genererade i tio resultatartiklar. Databearbetningen genomfördes som en innehållsanalys i fem steg. Resultat: Resultatet presenterades genom följande huvudteman: En vändpunkt i livet, Behandlingen gav besvär, Känslorna av maskulinitet påverkades och Oro inför framtiden. Det framkom i resultatet att få ett cancerbesked var en chockartad upplevelse. Fatigue, hårförlust och kirurgiska ärr upplevdes vara de mest besvärande biverkningarna. Patienterna upplevde att sin maskulinitet påverkades på olika sätt och fertilitet betraktades som en viktig aspekt. Det framkom att patienterna upplevde oro inför framtida förhållande och att återinsjukna i cancer. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor behöver förståelse för patienternas upplevelser utav testikelcancer och därmed behövs mer forskning för att kunna bedriva en god evidensbaserad omvårdnad. / Background: Testicular cancer occurs primarily in men under the age of 35. The mortality has decreased in most countries and at the same time is the incidence expected to increase. The cause of testicular cancer is unknown. A lump in the testicle is the most common symptom of testicular cancer. Nurses has described a lack of knowledge about testicular cancer. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe patients experiences of testicular cancer. Method: The study was conducted as a general literature study. The datacollection was from three databases who had focus on nursing science. The research quality was assessed and content reviews was conducted which generated in ten resultarticles. The data processing was performed as a content analysis in five steps. Result: The result is presented through the following main themes: A turning point in life, The treatment caused problems, The feelings of masculinity were affected and Concerns about the future. It appeared in the results that receving cancer was a shocking experience. Fatigue, hair loss and surgical scars were found to be the most bothersome side effects. The patients felt that their masculinity was affected in different ways and fertility was considered an important aspect. It emerged that patients experienced worries about future relationships and to re-illness in cancer. Conclusion: Nurses need to understand patients experiences of testicular cancer and with that more research is required to able to conduct a good evidence-based nursing.

No description available.

Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) has been increasing in incidence over recent decades, and is currently the most common malignancy amongst young men resulting in significant morbidity. These tumours are believed to arise from premalignant germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) cells, which originate from the aberrant germ cell differentiation from gonocyte to spermatogonia during fetal/early postnatal life. GCNIS cells remain dormant in the testis until puberty when they are activated to become tumours. Therefore, GCNIS cells remain in a pre-invasive stage during early childhood and early adulthood prior to the development of a seminoma or non-seminoma TGCC. GCNIS cells are phenotypically similar to gonocytes with expression of stem cell/early germ cell markers including OCT4, PLAP and LIN28. Furthermore, proteins which are expressed in more mature germ cells (spermatogonia) such as MAGE-A4 have also been shown to be expressed in GCNIS cells and these studies have indicated that GCNIS cells are a heterogeneous population in terms of protein expression profile. The relationship between the protein expression profile of individual GCNIS cells populations and their oncogenic potential has not been fully explored. GCNIS cells are located in the seminiferous tubules supported by somatic Sertoli cells. These cells have been previously reported to exhibit an immature protein expression profile in GCNIS tubules from patients with testis cancer, suggesting that the germ stem cell niche in GCNIS tubules resembles that of a fetal one. Associations between Sertoli cell maturation and GCNIS progression into tumour formation has not been fully investigated. Oncogenes are key players in the regulation of oncogenic potential of cancer cells. Gankyrin is an oncogene that has been shown to down-regulate OCT4, and interact with MAGE-A4 in hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer, where Gankyrin interaction with MAGE-A4 reduces the oncogenic potential of tumour cells. In this study I aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of GCNIS in relation to disease stage and Sertoli cell development. We also aimed to determine the role of Gankyrin in TGCC cell survival and invasion. The co-expression of early germ cells proteins such as OCT4, LIN28 and PLAP was characterized in GCNIS cells during childhood and adulthood pre-invasive TGCC and in invasive disease characterized by the presence of a testicular tumour. These results show that LIN28 was expressed in 95% of OCT4 GCNIS cells, whereas PLAP expression in GCNIS cells increased as the disease progressed from childhood pre-invasive disease to invasive seminoma (32.3% v 76%; p < 0.05). In contrast there was a reduction in the proportion of MAGE-A4 expressing GCNIS cells with disease progression. The MAGE-A4 expressing population was also less proliferative than the MAGE-A4 negative GCNIS population. The methylation status of GCNIS cells was then investigated. EZH2 a methyltransferase previously reported to be important for TGCC development, was expressed in GCNIS cells at all stages of disease, however the histone 3 modification H3K27me3 (mediated by EZH2) was expressed in a significantly higher percentage of the proliferative OCT4+/MAGE-A4- GCNIS cells compared with the OCT4+/MAGEA4+ population (11.7% v 1.1%; p < 0.01) which could indicate a repressive role for H3K27me3 over MAGE-A4 expression. Next, it was determined whether an association between Sertoli cell maturation status and progression of TGCC could be observed. The maturation status of Sertoli cells was studied using proteins indicative of immature (desmin, cytokeratin, fibronectin and AMH) and mature (vimentin and androgen receptor) Sertoli cells. These studies demonstrated heterogeneity of Sertoli cells maturation in GCNIS-containing tubules. Desmin, fibronectin, AMH and vimentin expression did not show any association with TGCC progression. Cytokeratin was expressed in Sertoli cells of human fetal testis up to second trimester of fetal life, absent in tubules with active spermatogenesis but heterogeneously present in GCNIS, demonstrating that cytokeratin expression is indicative of the presence of GCNIS. Androgen receptor was weakly present in Sertoli cells from human fetal testis and pre-pubertal pre-invasive TGCC testis whereas in GCNIS of adult pre-invasive testis and invasive samples, androgen receptor was abundantly expressed in Sertoli cells of GCNIS-containing tubules. These combined results for cytokeratin and androgen receptor suggest that Sertoli cells from GCNIS-containing tubules, in pre-invasive and invasive TGCC patients are partially differentiated. Gankyrin expression was characterised in fetal germ cells, GCNIS cells and TGCC tissue. In fetal testis nuclear Gankyrin was absent in OCT4+/MAGE-A4- (gonocyte) population whereas it was present in a subpopulation of OCT4-/MAGE-A4+ (spermatogonia) germ cells. In GCNIS cells from TGCC patients nuclear Gankyrin was expressed in 87%, 63.3%, 91.5% and 79% in childhood pre-invasive, adult pre-invasive, seminoma and non-seminoma GCNIS cells respectively. Finally, in seminoma cells, Gankyrin was expressed in the cytoplasm indicating a change in localisation as the GCNIS cells become invasive. We used siRNA to knockdown Gankyrin in NT2 (a TGCC cell line) cells in-vitro and demonstrated a decrease in cell number, suggesting that Gankyrin might play a role in TGCC progression and invasiveness. Gankyrin down-regulation also resulted in an increase in p53 and p21 mRNA level. Given the role of P53 and p21 in cisplatin cytotoxic effect in TGCC we went on to investigate the role of Gankyrin in cisplatin resistance using NT2 cells. We demonstrate that Gankyrin mediated cisplatin resistance through the p53/p21 pathway, upregulating apoptosis rates through BAX and FAS, whilst there was no effect on cell proliferation, cell cycle or cell migration. In conclusion, we have shown that GCNIS cells are heterogeneous and their phenotype can determine their oncogenic potential. We also show that Sertoli cells from GCNIS-containing tubules undergo partial differentiation displaying markers of immature and mature Sertoli cells, with a heterogeneous association of cytokeratin with GCNIS presence. We also demonstrate that the oncogene Gankyrin has a role in NT2 cells survival and cisplatin resistance indicating that manipulation of Gankyrin may have a role in the treatment of TGCC.

The purpose of this study is to explore college students' breast and testicular cancer self-examination beliefs and practices using constructs of the Health Belief Model. Over a 1.6 million Americans are diagnosed each year with cancer. With that, over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer while nearly 8,000 men will develop testicular cancer. If cancer is diagnosed and treated in the early stages, it will greatly increase the chance of survival and quality of life. One of the easiest methods to discover cancer early is to perform self-examinations. Self-examinations are safe, quick, private, and do not require a visit to the doctor. This study will explain reasons why some college students perform breast (for women) and testicular (for men) self-examinations while others choose not to perform self-examinations. A survey of 386 (202 female and 184 male) college students was conducted at a midsize university located in the Midwest. Participants were asked to complete Champion's Health Belief Model Scale. In addition, participants were asked to complete two open-ended survey questions regarding their self-examinations beliefs and behaviors. Overall, 129 (34%) participants performed self-examinations. Of those 129, females were more likely to perform self-examinations than males. In addition, females were also more likely to be taught how to perform self-examinations. Participants were more likely to perform self-examinations if felt susceptible to developing cancer and if they felt comfortable in their ability to properly perform one. Finally, participants were also more likely to perform self-examinations if they were given a cue to action (i.e. their doctor told them to or a relative had cancer). The significance of the data will help educators and health care professionals develop health programming to address the barriers that keep college students from performing self-examinations. In particular, there needs to be tailored programming for males because they are more susceptible to developing testicular cancer during their college years than any other time in their lives. Finally, a social marketing campaign could be an easy intervention to reach the masses. A Social marketing campaign would be a beneficial way to raise awareness, educate students on cancer in college, and show the simple steps in performing self-examinations.

Context: Collegiate male athletes have a higher risk of testicular cancer due to their age group, an increased risk of testicular contusions, and a lack of secondary prevention education. As the athletic training profession increases emphasis on evidence-based practice, it is important for athletic trainers to understand testicular cancer and testicular-self examination as it is outlined within their scope of practice. A general understanding of testicular cancer and the prevention techniques will be important for athletic trainers to promote awareness and health behavior practices. Objective: To examine the athletic trainers' actual knowledge, concern, perceived responsibility, training, feeling of embarrassment, and professional/personal practices. Design: Cross sectional survey. Participants: 249 randomly selected athletic trainers employed in collegiate settings. 65.6% of the respondents reported being between the ages of 21 and 35 years old. Intervention: Actual knowledge, concerned, perceived responsibility, trained, embarrassed, and personal and professional practice behavior scores served as dependent variables. Main Outcome Measures: A Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated between participants' actual knowledge, perceived responsibility, and concerned scores. Two one-way MANOVAs were conducted to determine if there was a difference in actual knowledge, perceived responsibility, and concerned scores that was dependent upon participants' age and gender. Results: Athletic trainers in collegiate settings had a fairly high actual knowledge of testicular cancer (X=7.62[plus or minus]1.42 out of 10). Athletic trainers reported that they should be concerned about testicular cancer in male athletes (X=7.26[plus or minus].167 out of 10). Athletic trainers had a low feeling of responsibility suggested by their reported score (X=3.93[plus or minus]0.18 out of 10). A weak correlation (r(169)=.199, P[less than].009) was found between the actual knowledge and perceived responsibility scores, and between the actual knowledge and concerned scores (r(169)=.285, P[less than]<.001). A medium to strong correlation (r(169)=.486, P[less than].001) was found between the concerned and perceived responsibility scores. Athletic trainers reported a decreased feeling of training about testicular cancer and testicular selfexamination (X=2.28[plus or minus]2.10 out of 10). Also, athletic trainers reported (X=2.71[plus or minus]2.42 out of 10) that they were not embarrassed to discuss testicular cancer. Athletic trainers reported performing either a testicular self-exam or breast-self examination on themselves (X=76%). Conclusions: College athletic trainers have a low feeling of embarrassment, adequate knowledge, and a high feeling of concern regarding testicular cancer, but report a low feeling of perceived responsibility and training.

The most common neoplasm found in young to middle-aged men is testicular cancer (TCa). This disease not only poses a risk of early death, but can also affect a male's fertility and testosterone levels and can diminish one's mental health and/or quality of life. One particular line of research that is emerging in the field is a possible genetic association of TCa with female reproductive cancers. We employed a systematic review to assess the methodological quality of articles that met the inclusionary criteria. To be selected for this review, articles had to go through a primary, secondary, and tertiary screening procedure using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines. Four studies were selected, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to measure the quality of each nonrandomized, case-control or cohort study. Two articles received perfect scores, one case-control study received a near-perfect score of 8 out of 9 stars, and only one out of the four included studies received 5 out of 9 stars. Upon organizing and analyzing the data, we found a significantly increased risk (20%) of female reproductive cancer among women who had a father with TCa. Also, we found that men were 12% more likely to develop TCa if they had a sister with female reproductive cancer, and 16% more likely if their mother had ovarian, endometrial, breast or cervical cancer. The goal of this review was to assess the overall strength of association, or lack thereof, between TCa and female reproductive cancers. Findings of this review suggest that an association exists between these discordant forms of cancer. There were significant risks found between mothers and sons, backed by substantial evidence of an X-linked inheritance pattern. This information has the potential to improve our knowledge of cancer etiology and treatment.

La bléomycine est un antibiotique cytotoxique, son potentiel génotoxique est plus important quand elle est utilisée en combinaison avec des agents antinéoplasiques sur le cancer testiculaire, que sur les autres types qui développent souvent une résistance envers la drogue. Notre but consiste alors de mettre en évidence ce mécanisme de résistance en utilisant l’organisme modèle Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nous avons démontré au sein de notre laboratoire, que les levures délétées au niveau de leur coactivateur transcriptionnel Imp2, présentent une hypersensibilité à la bléomycine, en raison de son accumulation toxique dans la cellule. Ceci suggère que Imp2 pourrait réguler l’expression d’une ou de plusieurs pompes à efflux, capables d’expulser la bléomycine à l’extérieur de la cellule. Pour tester notre hypothèse, nous avons recherché des suppresseurs multicopies capables de restaurer la résistance à la bléomycine chez le mutant imp2, et c’est ainsi que nous avons identifié l'activateur transcriptionnel Yap1. Ce dernier se lie à une région spécifique localisée au niveau du promoteur et permet d’activer l'expression d'un sous-ensemble de gènes, codant pour des pompes à efflux, impliquées dans la résistance aux drogues. Selon la littérature, au moins 27 pompes à efflux ont été identifiées chez la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae, certaines d’entre elles disposent du site de liaison pour Yap1, tels que Qdr3, Tpo2 et Tpo1. Afin de déterminer si une de ces pompes expulse la bléomycine, nous avons créé des mutations simples et doubles en combinaison avec IMP2, aussi nous avons verifié si les mutants étaient sensibles à la drogue et enfin, nous avons testé si la surexpression de Yap1 pouvait restaurer le phénotype sauvage chez ces mutants, via l’activation de pompes à efflux. / Bleomycin is a cytotoxic antibiotic that, when used in combination with antineoplastic agents, has more genotoxic potential on testicular cancer than other types of cancer, which often develop resistance to the drugs. Our goal is to identify the resistance mechanism, using the organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model. In our laboratory, we have demonstrated that deleted yeast strains on their transcriptional coactivator Imp2 have presented hypersensitivity to bleomycin due to the toxic accumulation inside the cell. This led us to believe that Imp2 might regulate the expression of one or more efflux pumps capable of expelling bleomycin outside the cell. To test our hypothesis, we sought multi-copy of suppressors capable of restoring bleomycin resistance in the mutant imp2. As a result we identified the transcriptional activator Yap1, which binds to a specific region within the promoter and activates the expression of subset of genes, encoding efflux pumps that are involved in drug resistance. Based on the literature, at least 27 efflux pumps have been identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of these efflux pumps have binging sites for Yap1; such as Qdr3, Tpo2 and Tpo1. To determine whether or not one of these pumps expelled bleomycin, we proceded by single and double mutations in combination with IMP2. We also verified if these single and double mutants were sensitive to the drug, and then we have examined whether the overexpression of Yap1 could restore the wild phenotype in these mutants through the activation of efflux pumps.

No description available.

Background and objectives: Despite a generally good prognosis, testicular cancer can be a life-altering event. We explored perceived positive and negative life changes after testicular cancer in terms of frequency, demographic and disease-related predictors, and associations with depression and anxiety. Materials and methods: All testicular cancer survivors receiving follow-up care at two specialized outpatient treatment facilities were approached at follow-up visits or via mail. We assessed a total of N = 164 patients (66% participation rate, mean time since diagnosis: 11.6 years, SD = 7.4) by the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI, modified version assessing positive and negative changes for each of 21 items), Patient-Health-Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized-Anxiety- Disorder-Scale-7 (GAD-7). We conducted controlled multivariate regression analyses. Results: Most survivors (87%) reported at least one positive change (mean number: 7.2, SD = 5.0, possible range: 0–21). The most frequent perceived positive changes were greater appreciation of life (62%), changed priorities in life (62%), and ability rely on others (51%). At least one negative change was perceived by 33% (mean number of changes: 1.1, SD = 2.5). Negative changes were most frequent for decreases in self-reliance (14%), personal strength (11%), and ability to express emotions (9%). A higher socioeconomic status was associated with more positive changes ( = 0.25, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.42); no other association with demographic and disease-related predictors emerged. While positive life changes were not associated with depression ( = 0.05, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.07) and anxiety ( = 0.00, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.13), more negative life changes were significantly associated with higher depression ( = 0.15, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.27) and anxiety ( = 0.23, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.36). There was no significant interaction of positive and negative changes on depression or anxiety. Conclusions: Although positive life changes after testicular cancer are common, a significant number of survivors perceive negative changes in life domains that have been primarily investigated in terms of personal growth. Early identification of and psychosocial support for patients who perceive predominantly negative changes may contribute to prevention of prolonged symptoms of anxiety and depression.

No description available.