In the Netherlands, an air raid siren sounds at noon on the first Monday of every month. A new campaign called 'Het Ballenalarm' ("the Balls alarm" in Dutch) now urges men to use this test as a reminder to check their testicles for signs of cancer.
An online campaign video, accompanied by the hashtag #laatallesvallenenpakjeballen ("#dropeverythingandgrabyourballs") shows a number of men spontaneously putting their hands in their pants when the air raid siren goes off.
“Do you feel anything weird? Then get yourself examined by a doctor," the commercial stated, following a short explanation of how men can perform the self-examination. A quick monthly self-examination should lead to the early detection of testicular cancer, which is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 40.
The initiators of 'Het Ballenalarm' emphasise that it is good to build in a fixed check moment. This will lead to the earlier discovery of diseases, doctor Berend van Doorn said on Dutch radio. "The outlook is usually good. But the sooner you catch it, the better the chance of survival."
About 1,000 men in the Netherlands get testicular cancer every year. "If you detect the cancer in the first stage, you see that 99% of the men are still alive after a year. But if you only detect the disease in the third stage, that number has shrunk to 85%."
The men in the campaign video put their hands in their pants when the sirens are sounding, regardless of where they are. "It is of course a bit silly, but we hope to break the taboo in this way," said Van Doorn. "Because of the absurdity of it, we hope it reaches as many people as possible."
The initiative is supported by the St. Antonius Hospital in the Utrecht region, in the centre of the Netherlands. The Testicular Cancer Foundation is also participating in the campaign. Several hospitals also share information on their websites.
