Eclipsed by the Prostate: Expanding Testicular Cancer Scholarship Through Years of Potential Life Lost and Economic Productivity

• Main Author: Michael J. Rovito PhD, CHES, FMHI
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-05-01
• Series: American Journal of Men's Health
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988316675794

Men’s health has been generalized as prostate cancer (PCa) with a supporting cast of other health issues, such as testicular cancer (TCa). As a result, research and scholarship in these supporting topical areas may not receive appropriate attention.This may possibly lead to disease burden indicators failing to comprehensively assess overall affect from a specific outcome within the population. The following commentary provides an example of years of potential life lost (YPLL) and economic productivity as it relates to TCa to encourage diversity in male health research and scholarship topical areas. Overall incidence and mortality rates overwhelmingly support a disparate burden from PCa as compared to other male-specific outcomes, specifically, TCa. When factoring in YPLL and lost economic activity as a result of early death, that disparity essentially dissipates. This discussion will provide an alternative disposition on how males are affected by PCa and TCa. Although PCa has much larger mortality and incidence rates compared to TCa, the amount of life a man potentially lo s es (nearly quadrupled) if he would die of TCa as compared to PCa assists in balancing out the disparate aforementioned burden. Suggestions are offered to encourage scholarship attention equity as well as implications for future research in the field.