Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer forms when malignant (cancer) cells develop in the tissues of one or (less commonly) both testicles. Your testicles are two walnut-shaped sex glands that produce sperm and the hormone testosterone. They sit inside a sac of skin that lies below your penis called the scrotum.

Like any cancer, testicle cancer is a serious condition. Fortunately, testicular cancer is highly treatable and curable.

What are the types of testicular cancer?

About 90% of all testicular cancer arises from germ cells in your testicles that clump together to form a mass or tumor. Germ cells eventually develop into sperm. Two types of testicular cancer arise from germ cells.

• Seminoma: Slow-growing cancer that primarily affects people in their 40s or 50s.
• Non-seminoma: Cancer that grows more rapidly than seminomas. It mainly affects people in their late teens, 20s and early 30s. There are four types of non-seminoma tumors. Each is named after the type of germ cell that makes up the tumor. Non-seminoma tumors include embryonal carcinoma, yolk sac carcinoma, choriocarcinoma and teratoma.

Some testicular cancer tumors consist of both seminoma and non-seminoma cells.

How common is testicular cancer?

Testicular cancer is rare, affecting only about 1 in 250 people with testicles in their lifetimes. Still, it’s the most common cancer among people assigned male at birth aged 15 to 35.