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| |  Biopsy Is Major Risk Factor In Testicular Cancer LONDON -- May 23, 1997 -- There is considerable evidence that cryptorchidism (undescended testicle) is associated with malignancy, as well as infertility, but the reasons for this remain unclear. In a paper in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ), doctors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Norris Cancer Centre, Los Angles, report that their study of the records of 1075 boys treated for cryptorchidism at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, indicates that biopsy is the strongest risk for testicular cancer. The authors say that, because of the risks of infertility and malignancy to boys who have surgical treatment for undescended testes late in childhood, there is an increasing tendency to carry out the operation early in life. However, they found no benefit to having surgery at young ages, and say that it is uncertain whether early intervention can avoid these risks. The largest risk was in relation to biopsy, although this could be due to the fact that this had been carried out because the testes had characteristics which were risk factors for malignancy. But the damage caused to the testis by biopsy could also be a factor, say the authors, although they point out that, in this case, this may have been due to the open biopsy procedure used at the time. Animal studies have shown that this procedure causes widespread damage. There are instances in organs other than the testes where trauma appears to lead to cancer, say the authors, who call for further investigation into the possibility that biopsy might cause malignancy.
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