[Testicular underlying pathology, especially mumps orchitis in patients developing testicular tumors (author's transl)].

From 1966 to 1976, 502 patients with testicular tumors were treated in Hamburg. This represents a morbidity of 3 cases in 100,000 of the male population. Increase in morbidity was noticed. The average age for patients with seminomas was 37.7 years, for patients with teratoid carcinomas 28.3 years and with mixed tumors 29.2 years. Two patients had mumps orchitis in their history. Because of the long interval between mumps orchitis and development of tumor a causal realtionship was considered unlikely. 4.8% of the patients had a history of epididymitis on the side where the tumor developed later. Epididymitis may be the only symptom of mumps and mumps therefore still be of importance in the development of testicular tumors. Postorchitic testicular atrophy may form the basis for tumor development. The high incidence of undescended testicles, orchidopexy and inguinal hernia operations in the history of these patients is discussed.