Reducing Your Risk of Testicular Cancer

If you were born with undescended testicles, having surgery to correct this condition may reduce your risk of getting testicular cancer. Many of the other risk factors, such as age, race, and history of cancer, cannot be changed.

If you are at risk for testicular cancer, talk to your doctor about what type of testicular cancer screenings you should have and what else you may be able to do to reduce your risk.

References:

Can testicular cancer be found early? American Cancer Society website. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/TesticularCancer/DetailedGuide/testicul...cancer-detection. Updated January 19, 2011. Accessed March 2, 2011.

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center website. Available at: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/. Accessed January 31, 2006.

Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2000.

United States Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for testicular cancer. United States Preventive Task Force website. Available at: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/3rduspstf/testic...r/testiculrs.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2011.

Walsh TJ, Dall'Era MA, Croughan MS, Carroll PR, Turek PJ. Prepubertal orchiopexy for cryptorchidism may be associated with lower risk of testicular cancer. J Urol. 2007 Oct;178(4 Pt 1):1440-6; discussion 1446.

3/3/2011 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance: Ilic D, Misso M. Screening for testicular cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(2):CD007853.

Last reviewed September 2012 by Igor Puzanov, MD

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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