Reproductive Cancer and Mental Health in Men

Cancer diagnosis and treatment, especially when affecting the reproductive organs, can have deleterious effects on men’s mental health. Reproductive cancers are those in which the disease originates in the reproductive organs. The most common male reproductive cancers are prostate, testicular, and penile cancers. Prostate cancer accounts for more than a quarter of all cancers diagnosed in men, compared with testicular (1%) and penile (0.2%) cancers, which occur at much lower rates, though prevalence varies based on age and geographic region. Disparities in prevalence rates across racial groups are evident in reproductive cancer. African American men have the highest rate of being diagnosed with prostate cancer compared with other racial/ethnic groups, while testicular cancer occurs more often in White males. Although relatively rare, penile cancer has ...