Testicular cancer is the most common type of cancer in men ages 20 to 25. Yet, because it accounts for only about 1 percent of all cancers in men, many people have never heard of this type of cancer. Testicular cancer is of special concern to young men. It can occur anytime after age 15. It is less common in middle-aged and older men.
White men are four times more likely to develop testicular cancer than black men.
The rate among Hispanic men lies between those of blacks and whites. Two groups of men have a greater risk of developing testicular cancer - those whose testicals have not decended into the scrotum and those whose testicles descended after age 6. Testicular cancer is 3 to 17 times more likely to develop in these men. The testicles normally descend into the scrotum before birth. Parents should have their infant sons examined by a doctor to be sure that the testicles have properly descended.