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Testicular cancer risk

For testicular cancer, risk varies with age, but is highest in early adulthood.

This page covers other factors with the best evidence of an association with cancer risk; this list is not exhaustive.

See our other pages for general information about cancer, or ways to reduce your risk.

More testicular cancer statistics

Incidence

Mortality

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See information and explanations on terminology used for statistics and reporting of cancer, and the methods used to calculate some of our statistics.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used.

Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics

References

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    Lifetime risk estimates calculated by the Cancer Intelligence Team at Cancer Research UK 2023.

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    Sasieni PD, Shelton J, Ormiston-Smith N, et al. What is the lifetime risk of developing cancer?: The effect of adjusting for multiple primaries. Br J Cancer, 2011.105(3): p.460-5

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    Hoei-Hansen CE, Rajpert-De Meyts E, Daugaard G, et al. Carcinoma in situ testis, the progenitor of testicular germ cell tumours: a clinical review. Ann Oncol 2005 16(6):863-8.

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    Lip SZ, Murchison LE, Cullis PS, et al. A meta-analysis of the risk of boys with isolated cryptorchidism developing testicular cancer in later life. Arch Dis Child 2013;98(1):20-6.

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    Walsh TJ, Dall'Era MA, Croughan MS, et al Prepubertal orchiopexy for cryptorchidism may be associated with lower risk of testicular cancer. J Urol 2007;178(4 Pt 1):1440-6.

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    Pettersson A, Richiardi L, Nordenskjold A, et al. Age at surgery for undescended testis and risk of testicular cancer. N Engl J Med 2007; 356(18) 1835-41.

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    Bergholz R, Wenke K. Polyorchidism: a meta-analysis J Urol 2009;182(5):2422-7.

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    Hemminki K, Sundquist J, Bermejo JL. How common is familial cancer? Ann Oncol. 2008 Jan;19(1):163-7.

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    Nordsborg RB, Meliker JR, Wohlfahrt J, et al. Cancer in first-degree relatives and risk of testicular cancer in Denmark. Int J Cancer 2011;129(10):2485-91.