The high incidence of benign testicular tumors

Of 2,800 testicular procedures performed at our institution between 1965 and 1985, 233 inguinal explorations were done for suspicion of cancer. Malignancy was present in 161 patients but in 72 cases (31 per cent) benign lesions were found. Despite the benign nature of the lesion 51 of these patients (70 per cent) underwent radical orchiectomy. The incidence of benign testicular tumors is much higher than previously suspected and awareness of this condition should lead to increased testicular preservation in selected cases.