Cryptorchidism or hypospadias is not a cancer risk for relatives of patients

According to a recent study published online December 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, boys having sexual birth defects known as hypospadias and cryptorchidism are at high risk for developing testicular germ cell cancer, but their relatives are not.

Although hypospadias is known as a birth defect that involves an abnormally-placed urinary opening while cryptorchidism is the scientific name of a condition meaning the lack of descension of one or both testes in the scrotal sac. Both diseases are associated with a risk of developing testicular germ cell cancer, but until now it was unclear whether they were part of an inheritable dysgenesis syndrome.