Orchid was the first registered charity dedicated to funding research into diagnosis, prevention and treatment of testicular, prostate and penile cancer, and promoting awareness of these previously neglected diseases.
When symptoms of testicular cancer appear, response/diagnosis is delayed by denial and/or embarrassment, leading to needlessly invasive treatment, and unnecessary illness/death. If caught at an early stage the survival rate is over 98%.
In the last 20 years, world-wide cases of prostate cancer have increased dramatically. With the decline in deaths from lung cancer, prostate cancer is becoming the most important cancer issue in men. There are over 30,000 cases diagnosed each year, with one man dying every hour of prostate cancer.
Surveys suggest that many men are unaware of testicular cancer, or prefer to ignore it and that few men check their testicles. A simple regular self-examination is now known to help detect the early signs and reduce the amount of treatment needed.
