Risks and causes of testicular cancer
Your risk of developing cancer depends on many factors. This includes things like whether you smoke and have a healthy balanced diet, as well as genetic and environmental factors.
Anything that can increase or decrease your risk of cancer is called a risk factor.
We don't know what causes most cases of testicular cancer. But there are some factors that may increase your risk of developing it.
Having one or more risk factors doesn't mean that you will definitely get testicular cancer. As testicular cancer is rare, the risk of developing it is small even if you do have any risk factors.
Risk factors for testicular cancer
Risk factors for testicular cancer include:
Having undescended testicles (cryptorchidism) increases the risk of testicular cancer.
In the womb, the testicles develop in a male baby's abdomen. They usually move down into the scrotum at birth or in the first year of life.
If they move down later or need surgery to bring them down, they are called undescended testicles.
In most men with undescended testicles, the testicles move down by the age of puberty. Some men have surgery to bring them down. The risk is greater in men:
- where the condition isn’t corrected
- who haven't had surgery by the age 11 to 13
Germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) means that there are abnormal cells in the testicle. It isn't cancer. There is no lump and usually no other symptoms. This used to be called carcinoma in situ, or CIS.
Doctors think that most testicular cancers diagnosed after puberty develop from GCNIS.
If left untreated, GCNIS develops into cancer within 5 years in about 50 out of 100 (about 50%) of the men who have it.
Doctors might find and diagnose GCNIS when you have a testicular biopsy to check for infertility.
You might have treatment such as radiotherapy or surgery to prevent testicular cancer from developing. Or the doctors keep a close eye on you to check for any signs of cancer.
Brothers or sons of men who have had testicular cancer have an increased risk of getting this cancer.
- Men whose father had testicular cancer are around 4 - 5 times more likely to develop it
- Men with a brother who had testicular cancer are around 8 - 9 times more likely to develop it
Some of the increase in risk is thought to be caused by changes in certain genes.
If you have had testicular cancer already, you have an increased risk of developing a cancer in the other testicle.
It is important to attend follow up appointments after treatment.
Men who are born with an abnormality of the penis and urethra called hypospadias are more likely to develop testicular cancer.
People with HIV or AIDS have an increased risk of testicular cancer. But most cases of testicular cancer are not linked to being HIV positive.
You usually have antiviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS. Some evidence suggests that these drugs cancel the increased risk linked with the infection.
Testicular cancer is more likely to be diagnosed in some racial and social groups.
In the UK, white men have a higher risk of testicular cancer than men from other ethnic groups
Other possible causes
Stories about potential causes of cancer are often in the media. It isn’t always clear which ideas are supported by good evidence.
You might hear about possible causes we haven’t included here. This is because there is no evidence about them or because the evidence isn’t clear.
More information about testicular cancer risks and causes
We have more detailed information for health professionals about testicular cancer risks and causes.
