10 September 2025
Stand Up To Cancer Day takes place on 12 September 2025 with the aim of raising awareness about the impact of cancer, its available treatments, and the importance of funding cancer research. This national day was launched in the UK in 2012, following the success of the US Stand Up To Cancer charity formed in 2007, and it provides a platform for real life cancer stories and fundraising for research and clinical trials. As such, 12 September provides an important opportunity to highlight the various ways cancer can affect so many of our lives: 1 in every 2 people. This includes testicular and prostate cancer and its symptoms and relevant treatment. It also includes the consequent impact on individual fertility and the importance of effective strategies for fertility preservation and family building including sperm banking, donor conception, adoption and posthumous conception.
Stand Up To Cancer
Since its launch, the charity Stand Up To Cancer has raised over £113 million for cancer research through a wide range of fundraising initiatives. The only way scientists and people in medicine can continue research is with continual financial backing, making it crucial for campaigns like this to continue. As a result of its fundraising to date, 73 clinical trials and research projects have been supported to further cancer research and advance available treatments and medications for patients to increase their chances of successfully managing their cancer diagnoses.
The platform that Stand Up To Cancer has built includes direct connections with over 13,000 patients, creating a place for them to tell their stories. This is not only an educational element to the charity, but also a way of creating a community for people who may otherwise experience isolation as a result of their cancer diagnosis.
Several television programmes also represent the important work undertaken by Stand Up To Cancer UK, including Celebrity Stand Up to Cancer Bake off and Celebrity Hunted. Well-known British shows like these raise awareness across UK media and enable their direct involvement as well to support cancer research and funding initiatives.
Through all of their efforts, the platform created by Stand Up To Cancer aims to ensure that by 2034, 3 out of 4 people who receive a cancer diagnosis in the UK will survive.
Testicular Cancer
Between 2017-2019, there were around 2,400 new cases of testicular cancer within the UK. Testicular cancer can take different forms, the most common of which are germ cell tumours, which develop in the sperm themselves. However, it also encompasses sex cord stromal cancers which begin in the tissues that support the testicle.
Sex cord stromal cancers, if they become advanced, can often be harder to treat than germ cell cancers as they do not respond well to chemotherapy. This provides added impetus to spread awareness about testicular cancer to help aid an early diagnosis.
It is also important to note that testicular cancer does not just affect men, but also trans women and non-binary people that have a male reproductive system. It may also affect some intersex people that have testicles.
Some of the symptoms of testicular cancer are a lump or swelling in the testicle, testicular pain, a heavy or firm scrotum, pain in the lower abdomen and weight loss. If any of these symptoms are recognised, the first step to investigate its cause is to have an initial GP appointment. Here, a GP will perform a physical examination of the testicles and the lymph nodes at the top of the legs to assess the nature of the issue. If they find any abnormalities, they then initiate a referral to a specialist (a urologist) and discuss what additional tests need to be done. Further tests include an ultrasound of the testicles, blood tests, and then after these sometimes a CT scan and an MRI. These can help determine the placement of the cancer, the size of it, and if it has spread (e.g. to discern what stage it has reached).
Prostate Cancer
As with testicular cancer, prostate cancer can affect anyone who has a prostate, including some trans women, non-binary people and intersex people, as well as the male population.
In the UK, there are around 55,000 new cases of prostate cancer each year, which makes it significantly more common than testicular cancer. Accordingly, to combat the high number of patients, it is vital to diagnose these cases as early as possible to maximise the chances of a successful recovery.
Unlike testicular cancer, prostate cancer does not usually have such visible symptoms in its early stages. However, it can progress to back, hip or pelvic pain, as well as urinary issues, weight loss, erectile dysfunction or blood in the urine or semen. Following a report of these symptoms to a GP, they perform a rectal exam. Additionally, they typically ask about a family history of cancer, and can arrange for a PSA blood test. This can indicate if there is something abnormal about the prostate, but it is not conclusive that the result is cancer. If a PSA test comes back positive, it will then lead on to further testing to confirm whether there is cancer present. These tests are managed by a urologist, and can include an MRI, a tissue biopsy, a bone scan, a CT scan and possibly a PET scan (using radiation to see inside the body).
Impact on Fertility
Not every case of testicular or prostate cancer directly affects individual fertility. In fact, with careful monitoring, fertility can be well preserved, and patients can still have a good chance of being able to start or grow a family. However, depending on the severity and placement of these types of cancers, there is still a very real risk of people who are diagnosed becoming infertile.
Surgical procedures such as orchidectomy (removal of a testicle) and a radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) are common treatment options for these diagnoses. However, they can have a knock-on effect on a person’s fertility. A radical prostatectomy often involves removing the seminal vesicles, as well as the prostate gland. This then means that the patient’s body cannot produce semen, which is a requirement for sperm to fertilise an egg naturally, meaning it would no longer be an option to have a baby through sexual intercourse.
Similarly, if someone undergoes an orchidectomy of either or both testicles, or just one is left with a low sperm count following surgery, this may have a similar effect of reducing their fertility. Consequently, prior to having these procedures the patient concerned will be warned of this by the doctor so they can plan their next steps.
Chemotherapy can also impair fertility or render individuals infertile. Certain types of chemotherapy can reduce sperm production, restrict sperm’s ability to fertilise an egg, affect the production of testosterone, or damage the nerves in the genital area which causes erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, chemotherapy does not just affect fertility in cases of testicular or prostate cancer, but can do so across all cancer diagnoses.
Lastly, radiotherapy (using high energy beams to kill cancer cells) can have much the same effect as chemotherapy, either if it applied directly to the testicles, or to the pelvis or central nervous system.
Ways Forward
In order to manage the impacts on male fertility that cancer treatments can cause, there are various available options. The first of these is sperm banking. This enables a patient to freeze a sample of their sperm for up to 55 years under UK law, for use in future family building, prior to undergoing cancer surgery or treatment. Funding is available on the NHS if relevant criteria are met.
It is advisable to seek specialist legal advice before undergoing any form of fertility treatment, including sperm banking, to help understand and navigate complex fertility law governing consent to storage and use of frozen sperm during life and after death. This can also help prevent any issues that could be caused in the future through misunderstanding or changes in the law etc.
To find out more about fertility treatment law in the UK click here.
After freezing sperm, the next step in family building often involves IVF. The frozen sperm is then thawed and used to make an embryo with a partner’s or donated egg and implanted in a person’s womb (either the patient’s partner, or in some cases a surrogate). It can also be used in a fresh fertility treatment cycle. In doing so, it is important to seek legal advice to understand and protect the rights of intended parents, prospective children and surrogates as the law surrounding fertility treatment, IVF and surrogacy can be complicated.
To find out more about surrogacy law click here.
However, sperm banking may not always be an option for someone facing a cancer diagnosis. This could be because the cancer has made the patient’s sperm count so low it would be difficult to store a viable sample. In these cases, though, there are still options to allow for family building, such as donor conception.
Donor conception enables conception of a child using donated gametes (eggs or sperm). In doing so, and to manage the legal implications of this treatment, it will always be beneficial to seek expert fertility and family law advice to optimise the chances of a successful outcome.
To find out more about donor conception law in the UK click here.
Lastly, in the event that a person receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, it is important to consider posthumous conception, which allows a partner or nominated person to have a child with a deceased persons gametes, if the right legal consent is provided. As with IVF, or other fertility treatments, specialist fertility legal advice should be sought to advise on the merits and legal requirements associated with posthumous conception.
To find out more about posthumous conception law in the UK click here.
To find out more about gynaecological cancer and the impact on female fertility click here.
If you, or a loved one, is at risk or is facing a cancer diagnosis, it is advisable to seek expert fertility and family building law advice. This can help proactively maximise and protect individual fertility during life or after death. It can also help put into place effective legal and practical strategies to navigate fertility treatment, pregnancy, birth, and family life.
If you would like to discuss your situation, or if you require specialist fertility, surrogacy and/or family law advice and assistance, please contact Louisa Ghevaert by email at louisa@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk or by telephone +44 (0)20 79658399.
Images: Louisa Ghevaert CEO & Founder Louisa Ghevaert Associates
To find out more about Louisa Ghevaert click here.
