Healthcare Insights

Top 10 hospitals by testicular cancer diagnosis volumes

Testicular cancer is a sensitive subject.

With fewer than 20,000 cases in the U.S. each year, it’s one of the rarer forms of cancer. It’s also one of the most survivable, averaging around a 95% five-year survival rate.

Still, testicular cancer does kill—and it tends to target younger men. While the disease only accounts for about 1.2% of cancers in men overall, it’s the most common cancer for men aged 20 to 35 and represents more than 11% of male cancer deaths between ages 15 and 35.

Depending on their response to treatment, survivors of testicular cancer may be rendered infertile or sustain damage to the nerves that control ejaculation and other sexual functions.

April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, making this an ideal time to examine the hospitals that handle the highest volume of testicular cancer cases.

Check out the table below showing the top 10 hospitals by testicular cancer diagnoses.

10 hospitals with the highest volumes of testicular cancer diagnoses

RankDefinitive IDHospitalCityState# total diagnosesCharges (primary diagnosis)Explore dataset
12846Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkNY5,233$5,625,176 Explore
21365IU Health Methodist HospitalIndianapolisIN3,655$4,326,035 Explore
33120Cleveland Clinic Main CampusClevelandOH3,430$2,297,876 Explore
4818Moffitt Cancer Center (AKA H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute)TampaFL2,901$4,043,905 Explore
52096University HospitalAnn ArborMI2,377$2,883,597 Explore
6370City of Hope Helford Clinical Research HospitalDuarteCA1,724$3,776,082 Explore
75692Seattle Cancer Care AllianceSeattleWA1,713$3,833,562 Explore
83923William P Clements Jr University Hospital (FKA UT Southwestern University Hospital - St Paul)DallasTX1,602$1,382,442 Explore
92837Mount Sinai Medical Center (AKA the Mount Sinai Hospital)New YorkNY1,317$1,029,251 Explore
10851Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterMiamiFL1,196$3,865,231 Explore

Fig 1. Data is from the Definitive Healthcare ClaimsMx product for CY2021. Data is accurate as of March 2022.

A total of 25,148 testicular cancer diagnoses were reported at these hospitals in 2021, bringing in $33,063,157 in total charges.

While Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York led in total diagnoses (5,233) and charges related to a primary diagnosis of testicular cancer ($5,625,176), the hospital with the lowest diagnosis volume, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) of Miami, Florida, had the highest average charge per claim at $5,928.

This disparity could be due to a number of factors at SCCC, including higher demand for doctors, fewer diagnostic resources or differences in billing practices.

What is testicular cancer?

Cancers that affect the testes are collectively known as testicular cancer. The vast majority of these cancers are formed in the testes’ germ cells, where sperm is made.

Most germ cell tumors are either seminomas or non-seminomas. Some testicular cancers will feature both seminoma and non-seminoma cells, but these mixed-cell tumors tend to grow like non-seminomas and are treated as such.

More than 95% of seminomas are “classical” seminomas, and typically occur in men between 25 and 45 years old. Senior men with testicular cancer are more likely to have spermatocytic seminomas, which are rare and slow-growing.

Non-seminomas occur more often in men before their early 30s. These include embryonal carcinomas, yolk sac carcinomas, teratomas and choriocarcinoma—one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of testicular cancer.

How is testicular cancer diagnosed and treated?

It’s not uncommon for men to discover testicular cancer on their own, usually during the process of testicular self-examination. A lump, unusual tenderness or heaviness can signal the presence of a tumor.

Physicians can diagnose testicular cancer using an ultrasound, blood tests or biopsy following the surgical removal of a tumorous testicle. Once a specific cancer is identified, a physician may order a computerized tomography scan or further blood tests to determine whether the cancer has spread.

In nearly every case and stage of testicular cancer, surgical removal of the affected testicle (radical inguinal orchiectomy) is the preferred treatment option. Some men choose to have the testis replaced with a saline-filled prosthetic for aesthetic reasons.

If cancer has spread beyond the testicle, physicians may use radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgical removal of nearby lymph nodes to limit further tumor growth.

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