Who gets testicular cancer and what causes it?
Although relatively infrequent, testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor among men between the ages of 20 to 34. It is estimated that there will be 7,200 new testicular cancers cases diagnosed in 2001 in the United States. The most important risk factor for testes cancer is cryptorchidism. Cryptorchidism increases testicular cancer risk 3 to 14 fold, and it has been estimated that 10% of testicular cancer patients have a history of cryptorchidism. Early orchidopexy (before 1 year of age) may reduce, but does not eliminate this increased risk.
