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Testicular cancer occurs when malignant cells develop in the tissues of one or both testicles. It is most commonly detected in young male patients between the ages of 20 and 35. In a new study, researchers looked at the prevalence rate of testicular cancer based on ethnicities. They found that the cancer rate has increased significantly in young Hispanic American men and not in other Non-Hispanic white men.

For this study, the researchers headed by Rebecca Johnson, MD from Seattle Children's Hospital examined data taken from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results. The team focused on two datasets, which occurred from 1992 to 2000 and 2000 to 2010.

The researchers found that in the first dataset, which sampled 15 percent of the U.S. population, the yearly rate of testicular cancer in the age group of 15 to 39 increased by 58 percent for Hispanic white men from 7.18 cases per 100,000 to 11.34 cases per 100,000. Within this time frame, the researchers calculated that the testicular cancer incidence rate increased only by seven percent for non-Hispanic white men of the same age group from 12.41 cases to 13.22 cases per 100,000.

In the second dataset, the researchers found that the annual testicular cancer rate increased in Hispanic whites but not in non-Hispanic whites living in America. The team concluded that if this trend continues, the rate of testicular cancer in young Hispanic white men could surpass the cancer rate in young non-Hispanic white men.

"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," said Dr. Johnson according to the press release. "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 healthcare system."

The study, "Increase in testicular germ cell tumor incidence among Hispanic adolescents and young adults in the United States," was published in Cancer.