Trends in the incidence of testicular germ cell cancer in Ontario by histologic subgroup, 1964-1996

Abstract

Background: Testicular cancer is rare but is notable because it affects mainly young men. The incidence of this disease has been increasing in developed countries throughout the world for several decades. The authors examined trends in the incidence of testicular germ cell cancer in Ontario for the period 1964-1996 according to the 2 main histologic groups, seminoma and non-seminoma.

Methods: Data on incident cases of testicular germ cell cancer diagnosed in Ontario residents aged 15-59 years between 1964 and 1996 were extracted from the population-based Ontario Cancer Registry. Annual rates of testicular cancer for the 2 histologic groups were analysed by means of log-linear regression to estimate average annual percent change.

Results: Between 1964 and 1996 the incidence of testicular germ cell cancer increased by 59.4%, from 4.01 to 6.39 per 100,000. This corresponded to an average annual increase of about 2% for both nonseminoma and seminoma. The relative increase in incidence was greatest in the lowest age group (15-29 years) for both histologic groups, although the data suggest that the incidence of nonseminoma cancer in this age group began to decline in the early 1990s. The increase in incidence appears to be due to a birth cohort effect, with more recent cohorts of men at increased risk.

Interpretation: The rise in the incidence of testicular germ cell cancer, not only in Ontario but also in many developed countries, requires investigation. The search for explanatory factors should focus on exposures whose prevalence may have increased over the past few decades and that are common enough to affect population incidence. The similarity of trends for seminoma and nonseminoma cancer suggests that the underlying risk factors are likely the same.