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Testicular Cancer
- Topic Overview
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Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
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The exact causes of testicular cancer are unknown.
Most men who get testicular cancer don't have any risk factors. But there are some things that may increase your chances of getting testicular cancer. These risk factors include:
- An undescended testicle (cryptorchidism). This is a testicle that has not descended from the abdomen into the scrotum. Normally, the testes descend into the scrotum before the baby is born or during the first 3 months of infancy. A man is at a higher risk even if the testicle is moved down surgically.
- Klinefelter syndrome. This is a genetic disorder that affects males. Normally, males have one X and one Y chromosome. Males with Klinefelter syndrome have at least two X chromosomes and, in rare cases, as many as three or four.
- A personal or family history of testicular cancer.
Infertility from sperm problems has been linked to testicular cancer. Men with sperm problems have a higher rate of testicular cancer than men who do not. Experts don't yet know if the two problems share the same cause or if one causes the other.2
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: January 13, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Christopher G. Wood, MD, FACS - Urology, Oncology | |
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