Literally and figuratively, Tom Green's nuts.

Only the Ottawa shock-comic could find ways to wax humourous philosophic onto an otherwise very serious matter -- his battle with testicular cancer.

The laughs don't come easy on The Tom Green Cancer Special, which gets its Canadian premiere on the Comedy Network tonight at 11, close to two months after the episode aired on MTV in the U.S.

Back in March, doctors diagnosed the 28-year-old Green with testicular cancer. He underwent one round of surgery not long after that, but then a second surgery was needed to remove infected lymph nodes.

Let's be real here.

When any doctor comes bearing the news that cancer has been detected in one's manhood, the least likely knee-jerk reaction would be to drum up a Mitch Miller-type singalong song, complete with -- gulp! -- a hairy bouncing ball.

Or allow a film crew to document what his parents (Richard and Mary-Jane) and close friends (Glenn Humplik, Phil Giroux, even fiancee Drew Barrymore) are going through emotionally.

Or even take the viewer on a journey through the surgical process from start to finish, a la The Learning Channel's Operation series, accompanied by the touching sounds of David Foster's Love Theme From St. Elmo's Fire.

At times, you want to laugh at the hour-long special, but the thought of poking fun at testicular cancer reduces that hearty ha-ha to a nervous cringing chuckle, when Humplik compares the removed testicle to "cut-up chicken;" nurses at the sperm bank offer "inspirational videos" instead of what Green calls "porn;" or when Green mimicks the Entertainment Tonight theme song, tossing in a mock cover story, "Tom Green can't f--k."

Other times, a queasy uneasiness washes over you at the sight of Green being tailored for a "burial suit;" when he dubs a meal the night before the surgery as The Last Supper; feebly attempting to call the whole scare a hoax; or just seeing the oft-scared images of Richard and Mary-Jane Green, Humplik and Giroux float through the show.

The "Viewer Discretion is Advised" warnings are put there for a reason.

In a strange twist, Green manages to comfortably adapt to the role of educator.

In typical Tom fashion, Green asks Giroux to have a doctor examine his scrotum area (blurred out, of course) and talks about his experience to 10,000 University of Florida students, performing the Feel-Your-Balls song.

In the end, Green has ultimately pulled off the impossible -- an earthy, touching, almost light-hearted look at a very delicate and personal matter.