Testicular Cancer Causes

The testicles are also known as the testes or gonads which form the male sex glands. They are located behind the penis in a pocket of skin known as the scrotum. Testicular cancer arises when the cells become wicked (cancerous) in either one or both of the testicles.

The testicles are responsible for production and storage of sperms apart from being the main source of male hormones. The development of other male features like body, facial hair, voice, shoulders and other reproductive organs is based on such hormones.

Testicular cancer amounts to about 1-2% of cancers in men, with the number slowly increasing with time. Testicular cancer occurs most often in men between the ages of 15 and 39.

The reasons for the cause and increase of testicular cancer are yet to be identified by the researchers. However, some of the reasons can be linked with:

• Exposure to female hormones in a watery environment, from the oral contraceptive pill
• Undescended testicles also known as cryptorchidism where one or both testicles stay inside the body after birth and never form part of the scrotum. Even the surgery to move the testicle into the scrotum cannot avoid the risk associated with cancer, which is further applied to both testicles
• Congenital abnormalities when men with abnormalities of the testicles, penis or kidneys are at high risk
• Men who are born with a hernia in the groin area are at a greater risk
• The risk of testicular cancer increases with conditions such as Klinefelter’s syndrome, where the testicles do not develop normally
• Mumps orchitis where an rare complication of mumps on one or both testicles become inflamed
• Men who have had testicular cancer are at a greater risk of developing cancer in other testicle
• Family history, that is, a male with a close relative, a sibling or father with testicular cancer is more likely to develop the disease a compared to other men
• Nationality also plays an important role as testicular cancer is more common among Caucasian males as compared to African or Asian men

Regular self examination of the private parts is very vital for the identification of any oddity with regards to any lump or swelling or discomfort in the testicle. In case of which doctor’s examination is a must. Who would further decide the treatment process based on the type of cancer, that is, seminomas or nonseminoma.

Copyright 2009