TY - JOUR TI - Effect of endogenous and exogenous hormones on testicular cancer: the epidemiological evidence AU - Giannandrea, Fabrizio AU - Paoli, Donatella AU - Figà-Talamanca, Irene AU - Lombardo, Francesco AU - Lenzi, Andrea AU - Gandini, Loredana T2 - The International Journal of Developmental Biology AB - Testicular cancer is the most common type of malignancy in men aged 15–40 years. Although its incidence has increased over the past 40 years in most countries, the reasons for this rise are unclear. It has been suggested that a relative excess of endogenous estrogens during prenatal life and/or later exposures to various occupational and environmental estrogenic chemicals such as organochlorine compounds may play a causal role in the etiology of testicular cancer, but the issue is still open to further research. The purpose for this review is to summarize the epidemiologic literature about hormonal factors, endogenous hormones and environmental xenoestrogens, and testicular carcinogenesis. Future studies need to (a) consider the possible synergistic effect of exposure to environmental xenoestrogens and sex hormones, (b) focus on the most vulnerable life stages of exposure to endocrine disruptors and testicular cancer risk, (c) assess the possible additive role of androgen secretion occurring during puberty in tumor progression, and (d) consider more systematically gene–environment interactions. PY - 2013 DO - 10.1387/ijdb.130015fg VL - 57 IS - 2-3-4 SP - 255 EP - 263 J2 - Int. J. Dev. Biol. LA - en SN - 0214-6282 SN - 1696-3547 UR - https://ijdb.ehu.eus/article/130015fg Y2 - 2024/12/22/08:12:19 ER -