ABC News Will Reeve reveals testicular cancer diagnosis: what to know about the rare disease
ABC News correspondent Will Reeve, the son of Superman actor Christopher Reeve, has revealed that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.“I was raised to share one’s struggles if, in doing so, that might help others,” Reeve, 34, told People.After surgery and chemotherapy, he is currently cancer-free.Not long after getting married, Reeves discovered a lump in his left testicle, and an ultrasound confirmed it was testicular cancer.Reeves shared that he had his affected testicle removed in a surgery called an orchiectomy, which led to a diagnosis of embryonal carcinoma — an aggressive testicular cancer common in younger to middle-aged adults.To stop the cancer from spreading, he had a second surgery to clear out dozens of lymph nodes through a retroperitoneal lymph node dissection.He also recounted his month of chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, detailing rough recovery side effects like bone pain, ringing ears, night sweats, blood clots and headaches.“I want folks to know that this is a thing that can happen,” Reeves told ABC News.
“It’s shocking.It’s weird It’s slightly awkward to talk about just because of what we’re really discussing here, but that you end up okay, almost always.”To diagnose testicular cancer, doctors perform a physical exam, imaging scans, blood tests and a biopsy.
After confirming the cancer, they test the cells to identify the specific type, which guides the treatment plan.The two main types of testicular cancer are:While any male can develop testicular cancer, several risk factors can increase this likelihood.Age plays a major role, as most cases affect teenagers and young adults aged 15 to 44, with about half of all diagnoses occurring in men in their 20s and 30s.Biological and medical history are also critical.Having an undescended testicle — known as cryptorchidism — keeps the risk elevated even after corrective surgery.A family history of the disease, a prior history of test...