A campaign to raise awareness about testicular cancer is calling on men to check themselves every month when the public alarm sirens sound at noon on the first Monday of every month.

Testicular cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men between 15 and 40.

The Stichting Zaadbalkanker foundation said the ‘ball alarm’ is a good way to remind men they should check for lumps and bumps. ‘Regular checks will lead to early detection and a better chance of a good outcome,’ initiator and doctor Berend van Doorn told broadcaster NOS.

The accompanying instruction video shows men at work and in a restaurant who ‘drop everything’ and put their hands down their trousers when the siren sounds. It also includes shots of a woman smiling benignly to show nothing untoward is intended and of men washing their hands afterwards.

‘It’s a bit nutty but we hope to break the taboo,’ Van Doorn said. ‘We hope people will take notice because it’s so absurd.’

A  broader campaign to highlight men’s health, including testicular and prostate cancer,  already takes place every November. Movember encourages men to grow a moustache to show their involvement.