Testicular Cancer

What is a testicle? Testicles (also called testes or gonads) are male sex glands found behind the penis in a sac of skin called the scrotum. These glands are responsible for producing and storing sperm, as well as producing male hormones. What is testicular cancer? Testicular cancer begins when cells within the testicle become cancerous and begin to grow out of control. Ninety-five percent of testicular tumors are a type called germ cell tumors.The term "germ cell" refers to cells that make sperm, and is not related to the more common definition of the word "germ," an organism that can cause infections . Other types of tumors found in the testicle are uncommon, and so this article will only address germ cell tumors. Testicular cancer is classified as one of two types: seminoma, which accounts for 40% of all testicular cancers, and nonseminoma, which includes four ... read more on Testicular Cancer: The Basics

Frequently Asked Questions

Testicular Relapse of ALL
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts," Are you aware of any patients or statistics regarding ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia) with testicular relapse? We believe our son is in this position and we have yet to find a similar case. Selina M. Luger, MD, Director of the Leukemia Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine

Undescended Testes and Testicular Cancer Risk
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts," At 10 months old, my son had undescended testicle surgery. At that time, I was told he will have a higher chance to develop testicular cancer around 10 years of age. He is 8 years old now. How common is this? I have been looking for answers, none to be found. Please guide me, I would sleep a lot better with some

Alpha-fetoprotein Levels After Treatment for Testicular Cancer
Dear OncoLink "Ask the Experts," Our 24 year old son has stage I non-seminomatous testicular cancer. Part of the follow-up is a check on the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in the blood every two weeks. The AFP is considered a marker for this type of cancer. We have not been able to pinpoint the acceptable level of AFP. To add to the confusion,

NCI Resources

Testicular Cancer Screening
Expert-reviewed information summary about tests used to detect or screen for testicular cancer.

Testicular Cancer Treatment
Expert-reviewed information summary about the treatment of testicular cancer.

Testicular Cancer Treatment

News

AUA: Incidence of Testicular Cancer Up Through 2009
May 7, 2013 - The incidence of testicular germ cell tumors increased from 1992 to 2009, especially among Hispanic men, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, held from May 4 to 8 in San Diego.

Marijuana Use Linked to Higher Risk of Testicular Cancer
Sep 11, 2012 - Marijuana use is associated with an approximately two-fold higher risk of testicular cancer, particularly nonseminoma and mixed histology tumors, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in Cancer.

Platinum Treatment for Testicular Cancer Ups Neurotoxicity
Dec 27, 2011 - Long-term serum levels of residual platinum correlate with the severity of neurotoxicity five to 20 years after chemotherapy in testicular cancer survivors, even after adjusting for initial cisplatin dose, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Conferences

Bilateral testicular cancer within two prospective, population-based SWENOTECA protocols in clinical stage I nonseminoma
Presenter: Torgrim Tandstad, MD PhD Presenter's Affiliation: St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim, Norway Background Contralateral tumor (CLT) occurs in 3.5-5% of men diagnosed with non-seminomatous testicular cancer. ITGCNU (intratubular germ cell neoplasia of the unclassified type) is a precursor lesion to the development of germ cell

A Nationwide Cohort Study of Surveillance for Stage I Seminoma
Presenter: Mette Sakso Mortensen, MD Presenter's Affiliation: Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract #: 4502 Background Seminoma is the most common tumor in young men aged 15-35, but it is fortunately also one of the most treatable and curable cancers with greater than 95% survival. Stage I is the most common