Hispanic Testicular Cancer On the Rise

Hispanic men are developing cancer of the testicles at an alarming rate, new research shows. The American Cancer Society says that a common symptom of testicular cancer is a painless lump on one testicle. According to a report in Reuters, the medical community is "surprised" by cancer rates among Hispanic white men over the last decade.

Testicular cancer rates rose by around 3.8 percent per year among this group, but stayed the same for non-Hispanic white men.

The Reuters article stated that testicular cancer affects Hispanic men up to 39 years old (the most common age for the cancer to strike). However, white men in their 20s and 30s didn't show that much of an increase, the report said.

"The number of new testicular cancers diagnosed each year ranges from 1.4 for every 100,000 black men to 6.6 per 100,000 white men, with rates for Hispanic men falling in between, at about 4.7 cases per 100,000 men per year," according to the report.

Still, if detected early, this type of cancer is less likely to be fatal. "Testicular tumors, Reuters reported, "are already among the most common cancers for men between 15 and 39 years old. But they are also among the most curable, with more than 90 percent of men living at least 10 years after diagnosis." "Improved awareness among men and their physicians may lead to earlier diagnosis and better long-term outcome," The University of Chicago researcher, Dr. Scott Eggener told Reuters. "When diagnosed in a timely fashion, testicular cancer has a very high cure rate," Eggener was quoted as saying.

This increase in cancer rate means a lot for the growing Hispanic population in the United States.
"Hispanic Americans comprise the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. Until only recently, cancer incidence data for this population has been too sparse to accurately analyze testicular cancer trends among Hispanic men," the website MedicalDaily.com reported.  

An analysis by Rebecca Johnson of Seattle Children's Hospital in the journal Cancer showed that "The increasing rate of testicular cancer in adolescent and young adult Hispanic males, combined with the rapid expansion of the Hispanic population in the United States, is projected to have a measurable impact on the United States health care system."