Trends in testicular cancer incidence in the Nordic countries, focusing on the recent decrease in Denmark

Abstract

Testicular cancer is the most frequent malignancy among young men, and there have been steady increases in its incidence in most western countries for many decades. Recently, a decrease was seen in some countries, including Denmark. Here, we report recent trends in testicular cancer incidence in the Nordic countries. We address the hypothesis that the causal factors for testicular cancer in Denmark are related to birth cohort and that non-seminoma and seminoma tumours have a common aetiology. An overall increase in testicular cancer incidence was found in the Nordic countries, corresponding to increases with each consecutive birth cohort in each country. In Denmark, a decline in incidence was observed during the past 5 years, and men born around 1943 and around 1968 showed lower incidences than men born just before or just after these dates. These birth-cohort effects were seen both for seminoma and non-seminoma tumours. This descriptive study confirms the hypothesis that birth cohort has a major influence on the incidence pattern of testicular tumours and suggests that seminoma and non-seminoma have common aetiological factors. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.