Key points
Testicular cancer can occur at any age, but is most often found among males age 20 to 44 years. The most common tumor type among males younger than 30 years was non-seminoma germinoma. The most common tumor type among older males was seminoma germinoma.
Testicular cancer incidence by age at diagnosis
Keep in mind
During 2001 to 2020, 161,969 cases of testicular cancer were reported in the United States. Three out of four testicular cancers occurred among men 20 to 44 years of age.
Table 1. Number, percentage, and ratea of testicular cancer cases by age at diagnosis, United States, 2001–2020
| Age (Years) | Number | Percent | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Younger than 1 | 329 | 0.2% | 0.847 |
| 1 to 4 | 489 | 0.3% | 0.314 |
| 5 to 9 | 145 | 0.1% | 0.074 |
| 10 to 14 | 451 | 0.3% | 0.220 |
| 15 to 19 | 7,394 | 4.6% | 3.521 |
| 20 to 24 | 20,693 | 12.8% | 9.758 |
| 25 to 29 | 28,864 | 17.8% | 13.984 |
| 30 to 34 | 28,424 | 17.5% | 14.127 |
| 35 to 39 | 23,567 | 14.6% | 11.801 |
| 40 to 44 | 17,896 | 11.0% | 8.837 |
| 45 to 49 | 12,932 | 8.0% | 6.311 |
| 50 to 54 | 8,481 | 5.2% | 4.272 |
| 55 to 59 | 5,224 | 3.2% | 2.885 |
| 60 to 64 | 2,884 | 1.8% | 1.903 |
| 65 to 69 | 1,718 | 1.1% | 1.432 |
| 70 to 74 | 1,006 | 0.6% | 1.104 |
| 75 to 79 | 672 | 0.4% | 1.012 |
| 80 to 84 | 427 | 0.3% | 0.957 |
| 85 or older | 373 | 0.2% | 1.048 |
| Overall | 161,969 | 100.0% | 5.617 |
aRates are per 100,000 population. The overall rate was age adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population.
Common testicular cancer tumor types
The type of cancer depends on where the cancer started. Inside the testicles, cancer may start in the germ cells (the cells that make sperm). Germ cell tumors are called germinomas. Germinomas are divided into two groups:
- Seminomas grow slowly and often spread from the testicles to the lymph nodes.
- Non-seminomas tend to grow more quickly than seminomas and often spread from the testicles to other parts of the body.
Sex cord tumors are a rarer type of testicular cancer. They are found in the tissues around the testicles (the scrotum and epididymis).
During 2001 to 2020, 54% of testicular cancers were seminoma germinoma, 43% were non-seminoma germinoma, 1% were sex cord tumors, and 2% were other tumor types.
bTumor types were based on the following International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, Third Edition (ICD-O-3) histologic codes:
- Germinoma, seminoma: 9060, 9061, 9062, 9063
- Germinoma, non-seminoma: 8240, 9064, 9065, 9070, 9071, 9072, 9080, 9081, 9082, 9083, 9084, 9085, 9086, 9100, 9101, 9102, 9104, 9105
- Sex cord: 8590, 8591, 8592, 8594, 8620, 8622, 8631, 8634, 8640, 8642, 8650
- Other: All other codes including specific and non-specific types
Distribution of testicular cancer tumor types by age at diagnosis
Among boys younger than 15 years, most (68%) testicular cancers were non-seminoma germinoma. Among adolescents and young men (15 to 29 years), two-thirds of testicular cancers were non-seminoma germinoma and a third were seminoma germinoma. Seminoma germinoma was the most common tumor type among men 30 years or older. Sex cord tumors were rare but made up 5% of testicular cancers among men 65 years or older.
Table 2. Number and percentage of testicular cancer cases by tumor type and age, United States, 2001–2020
| Age (Years) | Germinoma, Seminoma | Germinoma, Non-Seminoma | Sex Cord | Other | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Younger than 15 | 55 | 3.9 | 964 | 68.2 | 29 | 2.1 | 366 | 25.9 |
| 15 to 29 | 18,280 | 32.1 | 37,468 | 65.8 | 189 | 0.3 | 1,014 | 1.8 |
| 30 to 44 | 44,451 | 63.6 | 24,144 | 34.5 | 357 | 0.5 | 935 | 1.3 |
| 45 to 64 | 21,623 | 73.2 | 6,555 | 22.2 | 397 | 1.3 | 946 | 3.2 |
| 65 or older | 2,393 | 57.0 | 581 | 13.8 | 212 | 5.1 | 1,010 | 24.1 |
| Overall | 86,802 | 53.6 | 69,712 | 43.0 | 1,184 | 0.7 | 4,271 | 2.6 |
cAge-adjusted rate (cases per 100,000 standard population).
Symptoms and screening
Signs and symptoms of testicular cancer may include a lump or swelling in a testicle; swelling in the groin area; or pain in a testicle, groin area, or back. Males who have a lump, swelling, or pain for more than 2 weeks should talk with their doctor. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against screening for testicular cancer.
Data source
Data in this brief come from U.S. Cancer Statistics, the official federal cancer statistics.
U.S. Cancer Statistics incidence data are from population-based registries that participate in CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) and/or the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and met high-quality data criteria for the 2022 data submission period, covering 96% of the U.S. population (excluding data from Indiana, Mississippi, and Nevada).