April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month

join with the aacr to find better ways to prevent and treat testicular cancer

Testicular cancer forms in the testicles. Almost all testicular cancers start in the germ cells. The two main types of testicular germ cell tumors are seminomas and nonseminomas.

Nonseminomas tend to grow and spread more quickly than seminomas. Evidently, a man’s personal health history, including having had an undescended testicle, can affect his risk of testicular cancer.

It’s important to realize other risk factors, including:

Having had abnormal development of the testicles.
Having a family history of testicular cancer (especially in a father or brother).
Being white.

Testicular cancer most often develops in young and middle-aged men. In fact, it is the most common form of cancer in 20- to 35-year-old men. Fortunately, it is highly treatable and can often be cured, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with testicular cancer is about 95 percent, according to NCI. That makes it one of the most treatable types of cancer.

The NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program estimates that approximately 9,760 men in the United States will receive a diagnosis of testicular cancer in 2024. About 500 men will die of the disease this year.

one person’s story

Read how grit and determination helped major-league baseball player Connor Joe get back into the lineup after a diagnosis of testicular cancer. His story is in Cancer Today, a magazine published by the AACR for cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers: Grinding Through It | Cancer Today.

for more information

Please see our page on testicular cancer, which includes information on screening and treatment.