Injury guide
Updated Oct 6, 202627 sources
Testicular cancer forms in one or both testicles and is most common in men ages 20 to 39. Here is how it is found, which records show it, and what PFAS claims say.
These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Publisher of PFAS information for clinicians
Finding: ATSDR lists kidney and testicular cancer among health effects potentially associated with PFAS exposure; a link of this kind is not proof of cause.
ATSDR (CDC): PFAS information for clinicians (opens in a new tab) · Jul 7, 2026 · Checked Oct 5, 2026
Judge Richard M. Gergel · U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina · Judge over the federal foam cases (MDL No. 2873); rule on which cases could be picked, not a ruling on cause
“Only plaintiffs alleging the following diseases in their Personal Injury PFS shall be eligible for selection as an Initial Personal Injury Bellwether Discovery Pool Plaintiff: i. Kidney Cancer ii. Testicular Cancer iii. Hypothyroidism/Thyroid Disease iv. Ulcerative Colitis”
D.S.C.: AFFF MDL No. 2873, Case Management Order No. 26 (May 5, 2023) (opens in a new tab) · May 5, 2023 · Checked Oct 5, 2026
National Cancer Institute and Uniformed Services University · Environmental Health Perspectives · 2023
Read the source: A nested case-control study of serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and testicular germ cell tumors among U.S. Air Force servicemen (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 5, 2026
Not covered by this case
Testicular cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in one or both testicles. Almost all of these cancers start in germ cells, which make early forms of sperm. The two main types are seminomas and nonseminomas.
NCI says it is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 20 and 39. It can usually be cured, even in its late stages.
Risk factors include a testicle that did not move down into the scrotum before birth, a testicle that did not develop normally, a personal or family history of this cancer, and being White. NCI says it can also develop in men who have no known risk factors.
One sign is a painless lump or swelling in a testicle. A testicle may also feel different. Some men have a dull ache low in the belly or groin, or fluid that builds up fast in the scrotum.
Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum can also be a sign. NCI says to check with your doctor about any of these, since other problems can cause them too.
It can help to jot down what you want to ask before the visit, and to ask again if an answer is not clear.
A doctor checks the testicles for lumps, swelling or pain. An ultrasound makes a picture of the testicle, and blood tests look for tumor markers. To be sure, a surgeon removes the whole testicle through a cut in the groin.
This surgery is called an inguinal orchiectomy. A pathologist then checks the tissue under a microscope for cancer cells. NCI says surgeons do not cut through the scrotum to take a sample, because that could spread the cancer.
The blood tests measure markers called AFP and beta-hCG before surgery. Doctors also use these and a third one, LDH, to judge how far the cancer has gone.
The pathology report on the removed testicle gives the diagnosis. It also names the type of cancer. Blood tests for tumor markers are done before surgery to help diagnose it. Ask for those results and your ultrasound report, too.
Pathology reports usually go to the doctor within about 10 days, NCI says. Each one gives a description of the tissue and a final diagnosis.
You may ask each clinic and hospital for copies of your records, including ultrasound images and lab results. A provider normally has up to 30 days to send them, and often sends them sooner.
Some studies link some PFAS chemicals to testicular cancer. A link does not prove cause. ATSDR, part of CDC, lists this cancer as “potentially associated” with PFAS. We found no ruling in the federal foam cases that PFAS causes it.
An NCI study looked at U.S. Air Force servicemen. Men with higher blood levels of a PFAS called PFOS had a higher risk of testicular cancer. NCI says more study is needed in military and other highly exposed groups.
NCI notes that in 2023, an international cancer research group (IARC) rated PFOA, another PFAS, as able to cause cancer in people. That rating is about cancer in general, not a finding that PFOA causes testicular cancer. NCI’s own list of testicular cancer risk factors does not include PFAS.
The first injury test trial in the federal foam cases was set for kidney cancer cases, not testicular cancer, and it was put off in 2025.
Some people who say PFAS from firefighting foam caused their testicular cancer have filed claims. Some drank water that foam chemicals reached. Firefighters who say foam harmed them at work have also filed claims in the foam cases. This page cannot tell you if you could bring a claim.
The foam court chose testicular cancer as one of four illnesses for its first injury test cases. People in that first group had to say that foam used at one of two named military sites got into their drinking water. They could not claim direct contact with the foam.
Connecticut firefighters filed a class action over PFAS in turnout gear. It claims PFOA and PFOS raise the risk of testicular cancer and other cancers, and it asks for medical checkups. Firefighters’ own gear injury cases that also involve foam are in the foam cases.
The case pages below explain what is happening in each case now.
VA’s PACT Act list covers “reproductive cancer of any type” for some veterans. It does not name testicular cancer itself, and VA decides each claim. We did not find testicular cancer on the RECA or EEOICPA lists.
The PACT Act list applies to veterans who served in certain places on or after August 2, 1990, or September 11, 2001. It is a benefit program with its own rules, apart from any lawsuit, and being on the list does not by itself mean a veteran qualifies. A lawyer or claims agent who helps with a VA claim must be accredited by VA. Help from an accredited veterans group is always free. Accredited lawyers and agents can generally charge only for help given after VA’s first decision on the claim. They also need a fee agreement signed by you and them. VA’s website has a search tool to find an accredited representative.
The World Trade Center Health Program list does not name testicular cancer either. But it covers any cancer found before age 20 and rare cancers, and the program must certify each case.
Testicular cancer can happen at any age. For a son who is still a minor, a parent can usually get his records, with a few exceptions. An adult can ask his doctor to send copies to a family member, or name someone in a health care power of attorney.
If he has died, the person in charge of his estate, such as the executor or administrator, can get the records tied to that role. So can anyone else state law lets act for him. His doctors may choose to share facts with a family member who helped with his care or paid for it. Those facts must relate to that help, and they are not shared if he had told the doctors not to.
If someone died, the wrongful death case page explains in general how those claims work.
Checked against 27 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated
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