April 12, 1990
by Mike Eisenbath, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jason Struble always has considered himself an athlete. Not the best, perhaps, but an athlete nonetheless. To top it off, he is young, only 18.

Young athletes usually think they are invincible, certainly not a potential victim of cancer.

''Being fit and strong, I didn't think it could happen to me,'' Struble said. ''You always think it's the other person that gets it.''

Struble, a senior at Lafayette High, discovered Feb. 21 that he has
testicular cancer. He said he never had heard of that form of cancer before, and it is one of the rarest forms of cancer. But it is one form of which all young males should be aware.

Although only 1 percent of all male malignancies are testicular cancers, it is the most common carcinoma in males aged 15 to 35, according to Dr. Tom Russo. Russo is a fellow at Barnes and Children's hospitals and a pediatrician specializing in the treatment
of cancer in children.

He said that as recently as 10 years ago, testicular cancer patients faced a 10 percent chance at survival. The cure rate after early detection is up to 80 to 90 percent, thanks to advances in the chemotherapy treatment.

The problem tends to be in the early detection. Many young males might notice an enlarged testicle or a lump, but embarrassment prevents them from investigating a potential problem. The longer the wait, the lower the cure rate.

Struble said he knew his right testicle had been enlarged for at least two months but said it didn't hurt so he ignored it.

''I don't know if it was out of ignorance or embarrassment or both that he didn't say anything,'' Jason's father, Tom Struble, said. ''I do know we had given him a magazine article on the very subject not long ago. It's not really something you can easily come to talk about with people.''

Russo, who has been treating Jason, said Struble's reluctance in going to see a doctor early might have given the cancer time to spread.

''I know it's a real delicate thing to talk about,'' Russo said. ''I'm sure Jason has a whole lot of guilt right now about not saying something earlier.

''It's important that adolescent males learn to examine themselves every month, much like females do looking for signs of breast cancer. A typical lump would be painless and relatively smooth. It may grow very slowly. Most lumps aren't cancer, but they all should be checked immediately by a doctor.''

The American Cancer Society offers an education program for high school students on all forms of cancer. More information is available by calling Pat Lindsey at (314) 567-9730.