Doctors use a PREGNANCY TEST to diagnose teenager’s testicular cancer

A teenage boy has described the bizarre moment he was diagnosed with testicular cancer using a pregnancy test.   

Byron Geldard, from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was given the test by doctors because the disease can cause the body to make the same hormone produced during pregnancy.

After getting a positive result, the 19-year-old was given the devastating news he had the disease and began seven months of treatment.

Now, after surgery and intensive chemotherapy, he is in remission - and has become an ambassador for Teenage Cancer Trust.

Mr Geldard said: 'It was all very surreal to be honest.

'There I was with a positive pregnancy test and something growing inside me. I thought I was going to end up in a documentary.'

Home pregnancy tests detect a hormone called beta human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) found in the blood and the urine which is produced by the developing placenta. 

Experts say beta hCG can also signal testicular cancer.

Dr Danish Mazhar, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Cambridge University Hospitals, said: 'The pregnancy hormone (HCG) is often (but not always) produced by testicular tumours.

'In cases where the cancer has spread, the level of the HCG can be very high and if the clinical picture fits with a testicular cancer then a pregnancy test, which effectively is a test for HCG in the urine, can be used to make the diagnosis.'

Mr Geldard claims his hospital experience was as bizarre as his diagnosis.

'When I was about to go into surgery, I had to have an epidural like a pregnant woman - it was all very weird.

'I'm relieved to be in remission, and now I want to help raise awareness.

'Cancer is no longer a death sentence, and I would like to spread that message.'

In December, Mr Geldard had surgery to remove the growth in his abdomen (and the surrounding lymph nodes) and a testicle.

In January, tests revealed he was cancer free. 

He now plans to attend university and says he 'just wants to enjoy life'.  

'I'm doing stand up comedy about testicular cancer, as I think people need to be educated about it more.’

Throughout his cancer journey, he was supported by Teenage Cancer Trust.

He said: 'The Teenage Cancer Trust ward was great, the ward is kitted out with a TV, pool tables and free WI-FI.

'Everyone is going through the same thing so you get a lot of support.

'I even had the opportunity to meet John Bishop and Stephen Fry when I was there.

'It gave you an aspect of normality through everything that was going on.'

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