Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a treatment used for men with low testosterone levels. A prior study showed a correlation between TRT use and prostate cancer,1 although more recent studies have shown no increase in the risk of prostate cancer in patients undergoing TRT.2,3 There has been limited investigation into the potential risk of TRT on a patient developing testicular cancer. We aimed to assess whether there is an increased risk of testicular cancer among patients receiving TRT.
To assess how TRT affects the risk of testicular cancer, we completed a case-control study on 6,649 patients with low testosterone who were diagnosed with testicular cancer or who had an annual exam between January 1, 2018, and June 1, 2023. We matched on patient race, ethnicity, and date of testicular cancer diagnosis or annual exam. We found no significant difference in the rate of testicular cancer for patients treated with TRT and those not treated with TRT (19.8% vs 20.0%), as seen in Figure 1.
A sensitivity analysis adjusting for patient age, rural-urban classification, and social vulnerability also did not identify a statistically significant increase in the risk of testicular cancer following TRT.
