Testicular cancer in the Bundesliga – all players finally back on the pitch
Sébastien Haller had been waiting for this moment since July. The Borussia Dortmund striker was finally back on the pitch after his testicular cancer diagnosis almost half a year ago. In a friendly against Basel last weekend he succeeded again at what he does best: scoring goals.
More specifically, a hat-trick.
Just in time before the Bundesliga returns on 20 January, he is ready for his first league game with the Borussia. The Ivory Coast international had joined Dortmund from Ajax Amsterdam last summer.
Haller latest testicular cancer case to return to the pitch
The striker is only one of four Bundesliga players who were diagnosed with this particular disease in the span of six months. Jean-Paul Boëtius, Marco Richter (both playing for Hertha BSC Berlin), and Timo Baumgartl (Union Berlin) are the other names on the list.
Haller is the last one to return to the pitch. Along with Baumgartl he had to endure the longest rehab period including two operations and chemotherapy.
Due to the unusual accumulation of testicular cancer in the Bundesliga, the media and public took notice of this phenomenon.
Is there a specific reason or any correlation between these cases in the Bundesliga? Does football maybe even increase the chances of getting the disease?
These were the most asked questions.
The answer to both questions is no according to several specialists including Dr. Martin Dötsch, German urologist for more than 25 years. According to him, the media made this a bigger issue than necessary.
Photo: Martin Dötsch at his office in Nieder-Olm near Mainz; Source: urologenniederolm.de
Media exaggerated the issue at times
Headlines like “Higher testicular cancer risk for professional football players?” or “Does professional football cause testicular cancer?” were often misleading.
Hamburg urologist Prof. Dr. Frank Sommer even spoke about international studies that seemingly showed “that boys who play extremely strenuous competitive sports before puberty have an increased risk of testicular cancer, independent of genetic factors.”
However, this has not been confirmed. Dötsch assures that there are not any known factors in sports that increase testicular cancer.
It is normal for young men to be affected by this disease, but “the fact that it is now affecting footballers in particular is a coincidence.”
The main reason for the great media attention is the fact that these are well-known professional players. “If it had been amateur players, it would not have become a topic of discussion,” the urologist believes.
Testicular cancer most common cancer among young men
While the tumor overall is relatively rare it is the most common cancer among young men and has to be treated. This normally includes an operation and ,if necessary, chemotherapy.
Because it especially affects young men, the chance for recovery is higher than for cancer at an older age. In the case of Haller, he had to undergo a second larger operation which is why he missed all games before the winter break.
Although Dötsch sees it as a positive development that the cases in the Bundesliga have made the general public more sensitive to the issue, “one must also not overstate or exaggerate it” because this, he says, has led to many young men coming to his office with only a mere suspicion of a tumour. They turned out to have no problems at all.
For young men, a preventive examination by a urologist does not make sense, “because you notice the testicular cancer yourself when it comes. You don’t need a doctor for that,” he says.
“You’re standing in the shower and you notice that there’s something that wasn’t there before. Then you go to the doctor. Early detection of testicular cancer is something you do yourself, not the doctor,” Dötsch explains.
In addition, testicular cancer is relatively rare and mostly affects men between 15 and 49 years of age. Only just under two percent of all cancers are testicular cancers.
The difference between testicular and prostate cancer
It is important to distinguish between testicular and prostate cancer. While testicular cancer mainly affects young men and is self-detectable, the situation is different with prostate cancer.
It represents the most frequent cancer after lung cancer, from which men die. Therefore, it is advisable to go to early recognition screenings starting from the age of 45 according to Dötsch.
This type of cancer can still be treated well in the early stages, but at the same time it is difficult to detect it without a doctor.
Hertha BSC winger Boëtius was the last player to get the testicular cancer diagnosis – in September 2022. Only a month later he was able to return to the pitch starting with individual training until making his comeback only four weeks after his diagnosis.
For Marco Richter it was a similar relatively easy recovery. He celebrated his comeback with a dream goal shortly after this.
“The most difficult moments of my life”
Timo Baumgartl and Sébastien Haller, on the other hand, had to undergo chemotherapy to treat the disease. Baumgartl has returned to the pitch in September 2022 and has spoken out about the process after his diagnosis in the media multiple times.
The 26-year-old described the days when he started chemotherapy as “the most difficult moments of my life”.
This even led to all his teammates from Union Berlin going for a check-up for testicular cancer. Another case of an overcautious reaction on the matter, as mentioned earlier by Dötsch.
In Premier League history only handful of players came forward with their diagnosis, for example Arjen Robben (Chelsea) in 2004 and Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle United) in 2013. It should be kept in mind that some players who caught the disease probably did not go public with it.
Breaking a taboo
In this regard, the Bundesliga set a positive example by tackling what was previously often handled as a taboo topic.
Nevertheless, the number of testicular cancer cases has increased significantly in the last 50 years. The number of cases each year in the UK has roughly doubled since the mid-1970s according to the NHS (2019).
The causes of disease are still unknown, but a number of factors that could increase of a man’s developing it have been identified. These include family history and previous testicular cancer disease. Some doctors even claim that sport could possibly decrease the chances of getting the disease.
Typical symptoms are a painless swelling or lump in one of the testicles, or any change in shape or texture of the testicles.
“Testicular cancer is the only solid tumour that can be cured with a very good prognosis, even if it has already metastasised. About 95% of cases are cured”, Dötsch explains.
Movember
Charities like “Movember” are dedicated to battling men’s health issues. Apart from mental health and suicide prevention, their other focuses are on prostate and testicular cancer.
Since its foundation in 2003, the Movember movement has become a global one. Every November, men make the public aware of those issues by growing a moustache throughout the month “with the aim of raising vital funds and awareness of men’s health issues.”
However, the organisation has in the past been criticised for its recommendations for the frequency of screening which are at times at odds with NHS recommendations.
This leads to the conclusion that the most important part of the mission should be to create a common understanding.
At the very least, a more open conversation around issues such as testicular cancer will help make more young men aware of the potential health concerns they face and feel empowered to handle them rather than feel ashamed.
Dötsch is adamant that this is having a positive effect. He says: “My attention has remained the same, but that of the young men has increased.”
