Epidemiology of testicular cancer

Testicular germ cell tumors are generally rare; however, the incidence of these tumors has been slowly increasing over the past years. Analysis of data provided by the German Centre for Cancer registry data and the Association of population-based Cancer registries as well as by Globocan/IARC; selective literature review in Pubmed focussing on new epidemiological studies. Incidence rates in Germany are somewhat higher than in many other European countries. In terms of clinical and epidemiological features the unusual age distribution with higher risks in young and middle age is of interest. Cryptorchidism and a genetic disposition are among the few established risk factors, while there is an intense research effort directed towards endocrine disruptors as potential causes. The survival of testicular cancer patients is high and further survival improvements seem feasible mainly for elderly patients.