Testicular cancer is rare, accounting for about one percent of all male cancers, however it is the most common form of cancer in men ages 15-35. An estimated 8,820 men are diagnosed with it each year and about 380 deaths occur annually.

 

University of Maryland looked at 180,000 men and found that by age 80, 12.6 percent of those who developed prostate cancer were testicular cancer survivors compared to 2.8 percent of those without a history of the disease.

 

They also found the incidence of intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer was also increased in the testicular cancer group compared to the control group (5.8 percent vs. 1.1 percent). In addition, testicular cancer was associated with a 4.7 times higher risk of developing all prostate cancers and 5.2 times higher risk of developing intermediate- or high-risk disease.

 

The researchers analyzed data on 32,435 men with a history of testicular cancer and 147,044 men with a history of melanoma. Melanoma was used as the control group because there is no known association between melanoma and prostate cancer.

In both cases, the men developed prostate cancer about 30 years after their first cancer was diagnosed.

 

Even given the increased numbers, the researchers emphasized that the overall risk of testicular cancer survivors developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer was low. Still, they suggested that men with a history of testicular cancer should discuss their risk of prostate cancer with their doctors.

 

The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando.