Healthy 27 year-old shocked by deadly cancer diagnosis after chance football injury sparked doctor's visit

A 27 year-old man given a shock testicular cancer diagnosis has thanked an unfortunate tackle during a football match for saving his life. 

Liam Landers, from Chelmsford in Essex, was clueless about his illness until a collision on the pitch last April saw an opposition player's hand accidentally hit him in the crotch.

After momentarily sinking to his knees in pain, Landers finished the game but as the day progressed his right testicle remained sore and started to swell.

It was only after it had tripled in size and felt solid to touch days later that he visited his GP who referred him for further scans.

Liam Landers, from Chelmsford in Essex, was clueless about his illness until a collision on the pitch last April saw an opposition player's hand accidentally hit him in the crotch

A urologist confirmed the mass was likely cancerous and would require an operation to remove his testicle, as well as gruelling chemotherapy. 

Now, the stockbroker is urging men to check themselves, as the condition can often involve no symptoms.

Recalling his ordeal, Mr Landers, who plays for Old Chelmsfordians, said: 'Getting bashed in the balls saved my life.

'The urologist said there can be no symptoms of it [testicular cancer] so getting bashed in the groin flared up something that I didn't know about.

'If I'd not had that incident at football I could probably be dead now, in a hospice or really fighting for my life.'

He added: 'We were both going up for a header from a corner and then we collided, the other player's hand accidentally bashed me in the balls.

'That [getting hit there] hurts. Normally it would go away after a few minutes but this was prolonged. I went down for a second and then I was alright.

'Later that day I noticed my right testicle was really sore and swollen, but thought it was just from the collision.

'As the days passed it got no better and the whole testicle tripled in size. One day I was checking it and it almost instantly in my hand went rock hard, it was like a stone.

After momentarily sinking to his knees in pain, the 27-year-old finished the game but as the day progressed his right testicle remained sore and started to swell. It was only after the striker claimed it had tripled in size and felt solid to touch days later, that he visited his GP who referred him for further scans

'It was the most bizarre thing ever, it was like an out-of-body experience.'

Mr Landers visited his NHS GP twice in a fortnight concerned by the swelling. 

After the second appointment, he was referred for blood tests, CT scans, ultrasounds and PET scans, which ultimately spotted the tumour. 

Medics them told him he needed his testicle removed. 

He underwent surgery in May. 'It was a scary moment and very overwhelming, I was in tears afterwards,' he said. 

'It all happened within two or three weeks — from not knowing anything about it to it being gone and in recovery.'

Around 2,500 men a year in the UK and 10,000 in the US are diagnosed with testicular cancer, many in their 20s and 30s.

While 90 per cent or so survive for at least ten years if it is detected early, it can spread to other areas of the lower body if diagnosed too late — and claims the lives of around one man a week in Britain. 

During the early stages, testicular cancer can present as a hard lump or swelling in a testis.

The lump is usually painless and can vary considerably in size but is typically the size of a pea and located on the front or side of the testicle.

But not all individuals with testicular cancer will present with a lump in their testicles.  

He was left stunned when a urologist confirmed the mass was likely cancerous and would require an operation to remove his testicle, as well as gruelling chemotherapy

Mr Landers visited his NHS GP twice in a fortnight concerned by the swelling. After the second appointment, he was referred for blood tests, CT scans, ultrasounds and PET scans, which ultimately spotted the tumour 

Other signs can include an ache or pain in your testicle or scrotum and your scrotum feeling heavy, firm or hard, the NHS says.   

Two months later in August, Mr Landers underwent an intense three-week cycle of chemo to 'mop up' any remaining cancerous cells.

He said: 'It wasn't too pleasant, but the nurses and oncologist were lovely.

'On the first day of chemo I was in hospital for eight hours. It's like you're on your deathbed and then an hour or two later you just feel tired.

'It was like a wave of hell and then two hours later you felt ok.'

Now, a year on, he wants to share his story to encourage men to regularly check their genitals for signs something might be wrong. 

He added: 'I didn't know anything about testicular cancer, I thought I was going to die.

'Generally us men put things on the backburner because we get so engulfed in our work or studying.

'I was so lucky to survive, so I'm trying to raise awareness to help others spot it as quickly as I did.'