It's Time To Talk Health Magazine March 2005 by John Griffiths         Actress Elisabeth Rohm is on a mission to get men to open up about their health, and hopes to save some lives in the process. Most people wouldn't think of testicular cancer as a women's issue. But Elisabeth Rohm wants to change all that. The actress is known for her turn as tough, no-nonsense assistant district attorney Serena Southerlyn on the venerable TV drama Law & Order, which she left earlier this year. And Rohm showed her own kind of mettle last fall when she encouraged her boyfriend, MSNBC newsman Dan Abrams, to go public with his recent triumph over the deadly disease. She didn't stop there, either. Rohm has made it her mission to help destigmatize a topic many men find too embarrassing to talk about. "I said to Dan, 'I have things to say about this,'" Rohm says. Her bold push has earned her Health's Power of One Award, presented annually to an individual making a difference in the lives of women and their families. For the roughly 8,000 husbands, partners, fathers, sons and brothers who are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year, the news can be not only nerve-wracking but ego-shattering as well. The men most likely to get testicular cancer- those between the ages of 20 and 35- are "the men who think they're invincible, who feel that part of their power and identity comes from their sexuality," Rohm says. "Men don't want to talk about it because they think it makes them less virile." Caught early, testicular cancer has a 99 percent survival rate, but staying mum about a potential problem can have a drastic impact on a man's odds of receiving effective treatment. Luckily, though, Abrams didn't act like the typical man when he discovered a suspicious lump on his testicle during the summer of 2003; he actually went to the doctor. Rohm and the 38-year-old anchor of The Abrams Report had been friends for more than 3 years when Abrams got the news that the mass was indeed cancerous. By the time they began dating the following fall, Abrams had already undergone two surgeries (to remove a tumor and lymph nodes) and was given a clean bill of health. Still, he was haunted by the memory of fellow hospital patient and New York TV sportscaster Sean Kimerling, who succumbed to the disease. "Dan couldn't get him out of his mind," Rohm says. "They were almost the same age, they resembled each other, and their career paths had been somewhat similar." When Abrams wondered if he should speak out about his ordeal as a way to honor men like Kimerling, Rohm supported him. And she began thinking about how she could help out. "As somebody who loved somebody who survived testicular cancer," she says, "I had to do something." Both Rohm and Abrams have helped raise funds for the Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to getting men to perform regular self-exams, helping them recognize possible warning signs, and encouraging them to seek medical help without fear of embarrassment. Pointing to the "real revolution" of breast cancer-awareness campaigns, Rohm hopes women will do for their men what they've done for themselves. "Women have this incredible way of rallying around each other, and they're so comfortable talking about their bodies," she says. "Women schedule checks for lumps. It shouldn't be secondary for men to do the same. If we could get men to deal with the subject, we wouldn't lose that many of them." Rohm's message seems to be taking. Just after accepting our award at a luncheon in New York last fall, "Two women said, 'I'm really looking forward to going home and doing testicle checks,'" she reports. "It was perfect. That's exactly what a woman would do- totally diffuse a sensitive subject in about 3 seconds. She'd find the humor in it, the sexuality in it, the total comfort in discussing something awkward." Testicular cancer, Rohm says,"is not a big battle. It's just a battle that needs to be talked about." [Side bar of the article- What He Needs: Awareness There is no way to prevent testicular cancer. No drug, nutrient, or lifestyle change can reduce the risk. The best defense is knowing the warning signs, says Scott Kinkade, MD, an assistant professor of family medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who overcame the illness 7 years ago. Those signs include a lump or enlargement in one testicle, a dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin, or sudden swelling around the testicles. "A man who notices these changes should see a doctor right away- and don't be ashamed," Kinkade says. Should men do self-exams? Doctors' groups disagree about whether they're helpful or more likely to lead to unnecessary biopsies. But at least one expert, Indiana University's Lawrence Einhorn, MD, who helped treat survivor and six-time Tour de France cycling champion Lance Armstrong, often recommends self-checks to patients. The cancer can strike at any age, but it's most common in men between the ages of 20 and 35. Risk factors are few: a family history of the disease, having an undescended testicle at birth, and HIV infection. For unknown reasons, white men are about five times more likely to develop it than men of other races. Fortunately, testicular cancer is rare- the American Cancer Society expects about 8,000 new cases this year- and 99 percent of men who spot it early are cured through treatment. -ES] This article is the intellectual property of Health magazine and its author. It is transcribed simply for fan purposes. No copyright infringement is intended. :: Back up ::       2008 Rohm with a View. Rohm with a View (lis-rohm.net) is an independent publication and is not endorsed by Elisabeth Rohm, her management or any related companies. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Elisabeth Rohm or her management.