TY - JOUR
T1 - The Testicular Cancer Consortium (TECAC)
T2 - Filling Knowledge Gaps in the Genetic Etiology of Testicular Germ Cell Tumors
AU - Kanetsky, Peter A.
AU - Almstrup, Kristian
AU - Cherlin, Svetlana
AU - Cortessis, Victoria K.
AU - Ferlin, Alberto
AU - Gietema, Jourik A.
AU - González-Neira, Anna
AU - Grotmol, Tom
AU - Hamilton, Robert J.
AU - Haugen, Trine B.
AU - Kiemeney, Lambertus A.
AU - Kim, Jung
AU - Krausz, Csilla
AU - Lessel, Davor
AU - Lothe, Ragnhild A.
AU - Nead, Kevin T.
AU - Nsengimana, Jérémie
AU - Poynter, Jenny N.
AU - Rajpert-DeMeyts, Ewa
AU - Richiardi, Lorenzo
AU - Schwartz, Stephen M.
AU - Skotheim, Rolf I.
AU - Stewart, Douglas R.
AU - Turnbull, Clare
AU - Wiklund, Fredrik
AU - Zheng, Tongzhang
AU - Nathanson, Katherine L.
AU - McGlynn, Katherine A.
AU - the Testicular Cancer Consortium
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 The Author(s). Andrology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
PY - 2026/1/4
Y1 - 2026/1/4
N2 - Background: The Testicular Cancer Consortium (TECAC) was established in 2012 and is comprised of researchers from over 25 centers in Europe and North America. TECAC's overarching goal is to investigate the genetic susceptibility of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) to better understand their biology, impact prevention strategies, and inform treatment decisions. Objectives: To provide an overview of TECAC genetic and phenotypic holdings. Materials and Methods: TECAC has composed by-laws describing the consortium structure and governance, codified the processes for manuscript development and data transfer, and developed guidance for the transfer of biological samples and access to data. Results: TECAC has assembled a vast amount of genetic information on males with TGCT—including SNP-array data on over 13,500 cases, whole-exome sequencing data on over 4500 cases, and low-pass whole-genome sequence data on over 2700 cases. Genetic information on males without TGCT (controls) is derived from studies designed to assess risk factors for TGCT and from publicly available resources. When available, corresponding phenotypic information is collected and harmonized. Fifteen publications have resulted from genetic and phenotypic information curated by TECAC. Discussion: The sharing of genetic and phenotypic data by TECAC centers to inform large studies of TGCT susceptibility has led to novel insights into the genetic architecture of this cancer, including the roles of genes involved in male germ cell development, sex determination, chromosomal segregation, and RNA transcription. These findings would not have been achievable by individual centers or smaller collaborative efforts. Conclusion: We invite investigators from any discipline who have access to collections of germline DNA, somatic cell DNA, or genomic information on males with TGCT to consider joining TECAC to further strengthen our efforts to reduce the global burden of TGCT.
AB - Background: The Testicular Cancer Consortium (TECAC) was established in 2012 and is comprised of researchers from over 25 centers in Europe and North America. TECAC's overarching goal is to investigate the genetic susceptibility of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) to better understand their biology, impact prevention strategies, and inform treatment decisions. Objectives: To provide an overview of TECAC genetic and phenotypic holdings. Materials and Methods: TECAC has composed by-laws describing the consortium structure and governance, codified the processes for manuscript development and data transfer, and developed guidance for the transfer of biological samples and access to data. Results: TECAC has assembled a vast amount of genetic information on males with TGCT—including SNP-array data on over 13,500 cases, whole-exome sequencing data on over 4500 cases, and low-pass whole-genome sequence data on over 2700 cases. Genetic information on males without TGCT (controls) is derived from studies designed to assess risk factors for TGCT and from publicly available resources. When available, corresponding phenotypic information is collected and harmonized. Fifteen publications have resulted from genetic and phenotypic information curated by TECAC. Discussion: The sharing of genetic and phenotypic data by TECAC centers to inform large studies of TGCT susceptibility has led to novel insights into the genetic architecture of this cancer, including the roles of genes involved in male germ cell development, sex determination, chromosomal segregation, and RNA transcription. These findings would not have been achievable by individual centers or smaller collaborative efforts. Conclusion: We invite investigators from any discipline who have access to collections of germline DNA, somatic cell DNA, or genomic information on males with TGCT to consider joining TECAC to further strengthen our efforts to reduce the global burden of TGCT.
KW - inherited genetics
KW - team science
KW - testicular germ cell tumors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105027265052&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/andr.70168
DO - 10.1111/andr.70168
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 41486674
AN - SCOPUS:105027265052
SN - 2047-2919
JO - Andrology
JF - Andrology
ER -