By:
Ranjini K
September 7 2020
Certain men with testicular cancer can get a positive result on a pregnancy test. But it is not a valid and reliable way of diagnosing cancer.
Certain men with testicular cancer can get a positive result on a pregnancy test. But it is not a valid and reliable way of diagnosing cancer.Pregnancy tests check pee or blood for a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin(HCG). A specific type of germ cell tumor secretes high levels of HCG, which helps a pregnant woman check a pregnancy test. Testicular cancer is relatively rare and predominately occurs in young and middle-aged men. The American Cancer Society reports that the five-year testicular cancer survival rate is 95 percent, and it is one of the most treatable forms of cancer.
A pregnancy test kit can be used to detect it in the early stages. A Reddit user submitted a webcomic known as a rage comic that detailed his friend testing a pregnancy test for a joke. He tested positive for the test result. This result is due to one of the leading chemical that testicular cancer produce is beta-human chorionic gonadotropin(beta-HCG). The National Institute of Health states that beta-HCG is also produced in women by developing placenta, and certain types of ovarian cancer. A fast-growing uterine cancer called Trophoblastic tumor, and hydatidiform moles( a mole that grows inside the uterus during pregnancy), can also produce the Beta-HCG.
However, this is not a reliable way to diagnose this rare cancer. Only some men with testicular cancer have HCG levels high enough to be detected by a home pregnancy test.