Testicular Cancer

The incidence of testicular cancer is increasing. In 2005, approximately 8,000 new cases were diagnosed in the United States. Although it constitutes less than 1% of all malignancies in males, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men 20 to 34 years of age. Because of advances in therapy, overall survival rates are high--and the management of testicular cancer represents a paradigm for successful multimodality therapy. Modifications in both surgical and radiation techniques, as well as improved methods of employing systemic chemotherapy, have substantially diminished the morbidity of therapy. Nonetheless, the sequelae of multimodality therapy are not insignificant and can have broad and far-reaching consequences with regard to general health, reproduction, and economic productivity. The small numbers of cases, changing treatment practices coupled with an absence of standardized therapy, the young age of affected patients, and the relative paucity of these patients in databases makes evaluation of trends in the treatment of testicular cancer difficult. The diagnostic and procedure codes commonly associated with the disease are listed in a table. The narrow scope of these codes underscores the limitations to collecting and analyzing information. More comprehensive and detailed data are needed to provide a better understanding of the impact of this cancer on health and prosperity.