Many men with testicular cancer have no known risk factors. And some of the known risk factors, such as undescended testicles, white race, and a family history of the disease, are unavoidable. For these reasons, it is not possible now to prevent most cases of this disease.

It is wise to correct cryptorchidism in male children, but experts disagree if this changes the child's risk for testicular cancer. It does seem that correcting cryptorchidism earlier in life is better than waiting until puberty. Furthermore, someone who knows that he has a risk factor such as cryptorchidism may be motivated to be more watchful and to practice testicular self-exam to allow an earlier diagnosis (see the section "Can testicular cancer be found early?").

Last Medical Review: 08/03/2009
Last Revised: 08/03/2009