Even though we have a lot of fun peeking into the many different corners of ball culture (wait a minute, balls don’t have corners), our main remit here at the Ball Report is to help raise awareness of testicular cancer and the importance of early detection. That’s why we’re going to talk quickly about the three main symptoms of testicular cancer to look out for.

One in five men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer experience a pain in their groin, so that’s one of the first symptoms to be aware of. The growth of a tumor can compress nerves in that sensitive region, causing hurt and irritation at seemingly random times. Any pain in the groin that’s not related to a recent injury should be investigated immediately.

Another common symptom of the disease is heaviness in the groin. While your testicles can seem to shift in weight a little bit depending on certain factors, any significant increase in size or weight down there needs to be investigated. Cancerous growths are often heavier than surrounding tissue, so getting an examination can determine what’s happening.

The third of the symptoms to be aware of is any sort of pervasive discomfort down there. As opposed to sharp pain, this is more like general aching or a lack of the ability to get comfortable. While there are multiple kinds of groin aches, they should be checked out if they persist more than a day or so.

Read more at The Express.