Awareness and Screening
Sequoia is proud to partner with the Have a Ball Testicular Cancer Foundation, to raise awareness for cancer prevention through early screening and education.
Testicular cancer is cancer that typically develops in one or both testicles in young men. It is highly treatable and one of the most curable forms of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the 5-year relative survival rate for all men with this cancer is 96%.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that approximately 7,920 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed during 2007 in the United States. Currently, there are nearly 140,000 men who have survived testicular cancer in the United States living full and healthy lives.
According to the ACS, most cases of testicular cancer can be found at an early stage. In some cases, early testicular cancers cause symptoms that lead men to seek medical attention. Most of the time a lump on the testicle is the first sign. Unfortunately, however, some testicular cancers may not cause symptoms until after reaching an advanced stage.
Most doctors agree that examining a man's testicles should be part of a general physical exam. The ACS recommends a testicular exam as part of a routine cancer-related checkup.
Learn about testicular cancer and self-exam, on the ACS website: Can Testicular Cancer Be Found Early?
If you have questions or concerns, please call your primary care physician. If you need a physician, please use our Find a Physician website or call "Choose your Doctor" at (650) 482-6000.
Have a Ball Testicular Cancer Foundation
Bob Hammer is a two-time testicular cancer survivor. Bob had just finished 26 rounds of chemotherapy out of Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City when he raised enough money to participate in the Lance Armstrong Foundation's "Ride for the Roses" event in Austin, Texas. There, he was introduced to Lance Armstrong and his doctor, Dr. Craig Nichols. Bob had been scheduled to have a surgery the following week which would have prevented him from ever having children again. Dr. Nichols, a world-famous testicular cancer oncologist felt as though Bob did not need that surgery, and that Dr. Fred Marcus out of Sequoia Hospital had done a wonderful job. Bob did not have that surgery, and Josh Hammer, conceived naturally, is now 4 years old and Bob is healthy and strong. Bob and his wife Kim are eternally grateful and they're now fundraising for cancer awareness, cancer patients, and cancer research.
To learn more, please visit Have a Ball Testicular Cancer Foundation.
Bob Hammer has generously established a student nursing scholarship in the name of Dr. Fred Marcus. This provides funding for student nurses in the Sequoia Hospital/San Francisco State University Bachelor of Science Nursing program at Canada College. To donate to this scholarship, please call the Sequoia Hospital Foundation office at (650) 367-5657.
Bob Hammer and his family
