You may not have control over some risks such as your age. While testicular cancer is more common in men aged 20 to 35 years old, it can happen in older men. But risk goes down with age.

Your chances are also higher for:

Health problems such as:
- Undescended testicles—They migrate from the belly to the scrotum before birth. Some boys are born with their testicles still in the belly. This can be fixed with surgery.
- You've had this type of cancer before
- HIV infection
Men in your family have had this cancer—Risk may be higher if your brother or father had or has it.
Genetic syndromes such as:
- Klinefelter syndrome
- Down syndrome
Ethnicity—Testicular cancer is more common in White men who live in the US and Europe.

References:

General information about testicular cancer. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/testicular/patient/testicular-treatment-pdq#link/_1. Accessed October 1, 2020.

Risk factors for testicular cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/testicular-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html. Accessed October 1, 2020.

Testicular cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T907377/Testicular-cancer. Accessed October 1, 2020.

What causes testicular cancer? Urology Care Foundation website. Available at: https://www.urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/testicular-cancer/causes. Accessed October 1, 2020.

Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP
Last Updated: 12/4/2020

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at healthlibrarysupport@ebsco.com. Our Health Library Support team will respond to your email request within 2 business days.