Testicular Cancer: Risk Factors
While the ultimate cause of testicular cancer is unknown, there are a few risk factors that when present could make you more likely to get it:
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Undescended Testicle
Having had an undescended testicle, also called cryptorchidism, is a condition where the testicle fails to descend to the scrotum from the belly of the fetus, where it develops. The testicle(s) fail to descend in about 3% of boys, wither remaining in the belly or getting stuck in the groin as it starts descending.
Men who have had an undescended testicle are several times more likely to get testicular cancer than men whose testicles have descended properly.
The risk is higher for those with a testicle in the belly rather than partially descended. If testicular cancer starts, it often does so in the undescended testicle, however the American Cancer Society reports that 1 in 4 cases occur in the normal testicle, leading researchers to believe that cryptorchidism is not a direct cause of testicular cancer, but rather that both cryptorchidism and the cancer are caused by another factor.
Family history
While it may play a part, there are few cases of testicular cancer found in families
CIS (carcinoma in situ) could possibly develop into testicular cancer, however because CIS is difficult to detect in the first place, statistics on this are uncertain.
Cancer of the other testicle
Men who have had testicular cancer in one testicle have a 3-4% chance of getting it in the other testicle
Race and ethnicity
White American men are 5 times more likely than African-American men to get testicular cancer, and more than 3 times as likely to get it as Asian or American Indian men. Hispanics tend to fall somewhere in between Whites and Asian-Americans.
HIV infection and especially men having AIDS are at an increased risk for getting testicular cancer.