Incidence of testicular cancer on rise among American males

May 5 2013

The incidence of testicular cancer has increased among American males over 15 years of age for more than 20 years and while overall incidence is still highest among Caucasian males, the greatest increase was observed in the Hispanic community, according to a new study at the 108th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). This study will be presented to reporters during a press conference at the San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA on May 5 at 2:00 p.m. PDT.

Testicular cancers often begin in germ cells (sperm-making cells) and are referred to as testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT). Compared with other types of cancer, testicular cancer is rare, but is the most common cancer in American males between the ages of 15 and 34. Nearly 8,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2013. While the incidence of TGCT increased in Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic men between 1992 and 2003, little is known about the pattern of these trends after 2003. Researchers from the University of Chicago conducted a study to determine the trends in TGCT incidence after 2003 based on race, ethnicity and tumor characteristics.

Researchers extracted data between 1992 and 2009 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-13 registry, which covers approximately 14 percent of the US population. Trends were then determined using JoinPoint. Results showed:

• Rates of testicular cancer increased through 2009 among Caucasian, Hispanic, and African-American men in the United States.
• Hispanic men experienced the largest annual percentage increase (APC) at 5.6 percent from 2002-2009.
• TGCT rates were highest among Caucasian men (1992: 7.5/100,000; 2009: 8.6/100,000), followed by Hispanic men (1992: 4.0/100,000; 2009: 6.3/100,000) and lowest among African American men (1992: 0.7/100,000; 2009: 1.7/100,000).

"More research is needed to shed light on why the incidence is up nationwide and if any environmental factors or co-morbidities impact disease formation," said Jeff Holzbeierlein , MD, Associate Professor of Urology and Director of Urologic Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. "These new data confirm Hispanic Americans should speak with their doctor about risk factors and be even more vigilant with their testicular health."

SOURCE American Urological Association