Testicular cancer in the United States: trends in incidence and mortality.

The patterns of incidence and mortality of testicular cancer in the United States indicate substantial differences by age, race, time period, and geographical region. An epidemic increase over time in the risk of testicular cancer is noted for young men aged 15-44, with the most recent birth cohorts showing the greatest rate of increase. Indeed, some of the evidence suggests the possibility of two separate increases, one apparent from at least the late 1930's through the late 1950's and the second appearing in the late 1970's. The incidence data for blacks also show a young adult peak, even though the rates for whites are four to five times higher than for blacks at all ages except early childhood. Mortality rates for older men consistently declined over the 30-year period, while rates for younger men showed a dramatic drop only for the most recent time period. Aetiological factors yet to be determined may be responsible for the increasing incidence of testicular cancer in young adults. Survival factors appear to explain the age-specific differences between the incidence and mortality curves over time.