Wheels are in motion for cancer survival
After beating a rare form of testicular cancer, a local man is intent on helping others.
Every three months, Andrew Molenda has a CT scan to check for testicular cancer, and each time he hears the same computer voice.
"Hold your breath. . . . Now breathe."
A cartoon character on a screen puffs out his cheeks to show Molenda exactly when to breathe during the procedure.
The experience always worries Molenda, who was diagnosed a year ago. He knows that no matter when the machine says he can breathe, he won't let out a sigh of relief until the test shows he is cancer-free.
"You have to hold your breath and endure the anxiety," he said. "Then, when you get the results back, you can breathe until you go in for another test."
The 28-year-old has thrown himself into a new hobby -- bike riding -- and a campaign to help other young men with testicular cancer. Working with the Lance Armstrong Foundation has helped Molenda remain upbeat and focus on helping others.
"Part of being a cancer survivor is finding a meaning for why you were allowed to survive," he said.
Molenda found out about his cancer accidentally. He went to the doctor last June for abdominal pain that he thought might be appendicitis. The pain turned out to be unrelated to the cancer. But during the exam, doctors detected an abnormality in his prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system just below the bladder. It helps to control urination and forms enzymes that keep the semen liquid.
Testicular cancer is rare, and Molenda's type was even less common because the cancer never spread to his testicles. Although it was located in his prostate, it was not slow-growing prostate cancer but a quickly progressing testicular cancer.
The type of cancer a person has is determined by the way the cells look under a microscope, said Dr. Marc Milsten, a urologist with Urologic Specialists of Oklahoma. Usually cancers are named after the place where they originate, he said.
In Molenda's case, however, doctors aren't sure why testicular cancer showed up in his prostate but not in his testicles, Milsten said. The nation's leading cancer experts were perplexed by the case and took a month to diagnose it.
In Molenda's case, he never would have been able to feel a suspicious lump. But most men with testicular cancer can.
About 7,500 cases were diagnosed in 2002, compared to about 200,000 cases of breast cancer, said Dr. Alan Langerak, an oncologist with Cancer Care Associates.
The National Cancer Institute projects that 8,980 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed, and 360 will die of the disease in 2004. It is the most common malignancy in men between the ages of 15 and 35.
This type of cancer is sensitive to chemotherapy and is highly curable. About 90 percent of men who are diagnosed are cured, Langerak said.
The chemo, though, is a very difficult therapy and is draining even for young, otherwise healthy men, Langerak said.
After Molenda's chemotherapy, blood tests showed that the cancer had responded. But CT scans showed that the tumor had not shrunk, so doctors decided to remove Molenda's prostate.
Molenda encourages young men to examine their testicles monthly.
"I've said the word 'testicle' more in the last year than I had before in my whole life," he said. "It seems so silly to me now because I know the risks."
When found early, testicular cancer is very curable, but many men don't examine themselves, or they ignore unusual lumps, Molenda said. The cancer can spread to the lungs and brain, as in the case of professional cyclist Lance Armstrong.
"Some don't find out until they're coughing up blood or having a horrible headache," he said.
When he rides his bike six to 10 miles a day, plus 25 miles on the weekend, Molenda thinks about the strength of his hero Armstrong, who beat cancer despite a 10 percent chance of survival. Armstrong's foundation sponsors a yearly ride to raise money to research the disease.
When Molenda started riding, he had to walk up steep hills. Now his strength has improved, and he plans to ride 40 miles in the Ride for the Roses in October.
"It's a liberating feeling," Molenda said, "after spending so many hours on the couch feeling miserable."
To support my ride:
The Ride for the Roses celebrates the fund-raising efforts of the Peloton Project, the Lance Armstrong Foundation's major outreach and awareness effort. To participate, Peloton members collect donations. The 2004 ride weekend will be Oct. 15-17 in Austin, Texas.
To make a donation:
click this link and and make a donation in my name. Thanks.
click this link and and make a donation in my name. Thanks.
How to check for testicular cancer
- After a warm shower when the scrotum is relaxed, stand in front of a mirror and check for swelling on the scrotum skin.
- Hold the penis out of the way and examine each testicle separately.
- Examine each testicle using both hands. Place the index and middle fingers under the testicle with the thumbs placed on top.
- Roll the testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers.
- Each normal testis has an epididymis, which appears as a small bump on the upper or middle outer side of the testis. Normal testicles also contain blood vessels, supporting tissues and tubes that conduct sperm. Some men may confuse these with cancer.
- Look and feel for any hard lumps, smooth rounded masses or any change in the size, shape or consistency of the testes.
- Check any abnormalities with a doctor immediately.
Learn More
Visit the
Lance Armstrong Foundation Web Site