Metastases to testis

Last revised by Mostafa Elfeky on 1 Jul 2022

Metastases to testis are a very rare cause of a testicular mass and may be bilateral in up to 15% of patients. 

Metastases to the testes are apparent in ~0.04% of autopsy studies in patients with known malignancy. The average age is 57 years, much older than the primary age for primary testicular cancer 2

The literature suggests that the rarity of metastases to the testes may be due to:

  • lower temperature of the scrotum, so the malignant cells find it more difficult to proliferate 9
  • testes are a 'sanctuary' site - due to the blood-testicular barrier 10

In adults a malignant testicular lesion is much more likely to be a primary. Even so-called common sources are rare. The largest series of 20 cases of metastases to the testes, over a ten-year period, found the majority to be from leukemia 10.

In children, sources include:

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