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.

  • EAU Guidelines on Testicular Cancer
    MP Laguna and others
    European Association of Urology 2021

  • Testicular Cancer: Diagnosis and Treatment
    D C Baird and others
    Am Fam Physician. 2018 February Volume 97 issue 4 pages 261-268.

  • Current knowledge of risk factors for testicular germ cell tumors
    T Fukawa and others
    International journal of urology  , April 2018, Volume 25, issue 4, pages 337 – 344

  • Prepubertal orchiopexy for cryptorchidism may be associated with lower risk of testicular cancer
    TJ Walsh and others
    Jpurnal of Urology 2007 Volume 178, issue 4 part 1, pages 1440-6

  • Testicular Cancer: Genes, Environment, Hormones
    L Toni and others
    Frontiers in endocrinology 2019, Volume 10, article 408, pages 1-11 

  • The information on this page is based on literature searches and specialist checking. We used many references and there are too many to list here. Please contact patientinformation@cancer.org.uk with details of the particular issue you are interested in if you need additional references for this information.

     

Last reviewed: 
06 Feb 2022
Next review due: 
06 Feb 2025

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