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Around 2,000 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer in the UK each year. We don’t know what causes testicular cancer, but research into this is ongoing.
There are factors which can increase the chance of getting testicular cancer. These include:
Usually the testicles develop inside the abdomen of the unborn child and come down (descend) into the scrotum at birth or by the time the child is one year old. Men who’ve needed an operation to bring the testicle down into the scrotum have a higher chance of getting testicular cancer.
Men with a brother or father who have had testicular cancer are slightly more at risk of getting it (although the risk is still small). Research shows that a particular gene is the cause of testicular cancer in some men. It’s possible that this gene is inherited and may be why testicular cancer sometimes happens in brothers or sons of men who’ve had it.
This is abnormal cells in the testicle which (if left) can develop into testicular cancer. CIS tends to be discovered when men have a biopsy of the testicle to investigate infertility (inability to have children). The testicle with the CIS is usually removed.
A small percentage (3–4%) of men who’ve previously been treated for testicular cancer will go on to develop a cancer in the other testicle.
Testicular cancer is more common in white men than African-Caribbean or Asian men. It’s also more common in wealthier social groups. We don’t know the reasons for this.
Men who are taller appear to have a higher risk of testicular cancer, but it’s not clear why.
Sometimes an injury to a testicle or the groin may bring a testicular cancer to your doctor’s attention. But there’s no evidence to suggest that injury to a testicle increases your risk of getting cancer. Having a vasectomy doesn’t increase the risk of getting testicular cancer either.
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