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More Diagnostic Imaging May Increase Testicular Cancer Risk

A PLOS ONE study from Penn Medicine researchers indicates that early and repeated exposure to diagnostic imaging may increase a patient’s risk of testicular cancer.1 Testicular germ cell tumor cases (TGCT) have risen steadily over the past 3 to 4 decades, and this suggests some type of environmental exposure factor, according to the study’s senior author, Katherine L. Nathanson, MD, Pearl Basser Professor for BRCA-Related Research and deputy director of the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center. The findings suggest that diagnostic radiation below the waist in men may play a role in that increase, she says. Researchers conducted an observational study of 1246 male Penn Medicine patients between the ages of 18 and 55 years who either had testicular cancer or did not have cancer. They were asked to complete a questionnaire seeking data on known and presumptive testicular cancer risk factors and diagnostic imaging tests, including the number and body location of x-rays and computed tomography scans during their lifetimes, prior to diagnosis. Investigators also collected tumor samples. Findings showed a statistically significantly increased risk of testicular cancer among those participants who reported at least 3 exposures to x-rays, including x-rays of the colon and computed tomography scans performed below the waist, in comparison with men without such exposure. The men with the higher exposures to diagnostic radiation had a 59% increased likelihood of having a testicular germ cell tumor in comparison with those without exposure to diagnostic radiation. A greater risk also was associated with exposure to radiation in the first decade of life in comparison with those exposed at the age of 18 years or older.