Taller men at higher risk of testicular cancer

LONDON - Taller men are more at risk of testicular cancer than shorter men, says a new research.

Scientists have found that for every two inches above the average height of 5 feet 9 inches for men, the risk from the disease increases by 13 percent.

Around 2,000 men in Britain develop the cancer every year, reports the Telegraph.

However, since only one man in 210 gets testicular cancer in Britain, the absolute risk is low, according to the British Journal of Cancer.

The research was led by Michael Blaise Cook from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, US.

“The study showed a link between height and testicular cancer but we still do not understand how increased height raises a man’s risk of testicular cancer,” Cook said.

Other factors like family history and inherited faulty genes are much more important, accounting for 20 percent of disease risk, said the scientists.

The chances of developing testicular cancer are also influenced by medical history, ethnicity, undescended testicles and age.

Testicular cancer accounts for one percent of male cancers.

Sara Hiom, director of health information at the Charity Cancer Research UK, which owns the journal, said: “Tall men should not be alarmed by this research since fewer than four in 100 testicular lumps are actually cancerous.”

“The outlook for testicular cancer is also one of the best for all cancers - even after the disease has spread, patients can be cured,” he said.

The charity also pointed out that the cure rate for testicular cancer is one of the best for all cancers with 98 percent of all those diagnosed with the disease surviving for at least 10 years.