Testicular Cancer Patients More Likely to Develop Prostate Cancer

Men who had testicular cancer also more likely to develop higher risk prostate cancers.

Men with a history of testicular cancer face an increased risk of developing prostate cancer than men without a history of the disease, a recent study indicates.

The study, which is scheduled to be presented at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Florida, found that in 180,000 men, the incidence of prostate cancer was 12.6%, compared with 2.8% in those without a history of testicular cancer.

"Men with a history of testicular cancer should talk with their doctor about assessing their risk for prostate cancer, given there may be an increased risk," study senior author Mohummad Minhaj Siddiqui, MD, said in a press release. "It is too soon to make any practice recommendations based on this single study, but the findings provide groundwork for further research into the biologic link between the two diseases."

The survey utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results on 32,435 men with a history of testicular cancer and 147,044 men with a history of melanoma as a control group, due to no known association between melanoma and prostate cancer. Patients with melanoma are thought to face a similar risk for developing prostate cancer as the general population.

Men in both of the groups were found to develop prostate cancer an average of approximately 30 years after their initial cancer diagnosis. Not only do men with a prior history of testicular cancer have a greater chance of developing prostate cancer, but they also have an increased chance of developing higher risk subtypes of the disease.

The risk of intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer in the testicular cancer group was 5.8%, compared with 1.1% in the control group. Additionally, a history of testicular cancer was associated with a 4.7 times greater risk for the development of all prostate cancers.

Prior history was also associated with a 5.2 times greater risk of developing intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer. While the risk factors are alarming, the study authors urged a big picture examination of the data.

The researchers emphasized that 95% of men with a history of testicular cancer will not develop intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer.