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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jérémie NsengimanaORCiD, Dr Svetlana CherlinORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
© 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.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.
Author(s): Kanetsky PA, Almstrup A, Cortessis VK, Ferlin A, Gietama JA, Gonzalez-Neira A, Hamilton RJ, Haugen T, Kiemeney LA, Krauz C, Meijer C, Lesser D, Nead KT, Nsengimana J, Cherlin S, Poynter J, Stephanson K, Richiardi L, Schwartz SM, Skotheim RI, Stewart DR, Turnbull C, Wiklund F, Zheng T, Natanson KL, McGlynn KA
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Andrology
Year: 2026
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 04/01/2026
Acceptance date: 05/12/2025
Date deposited: 26/01/2026
ISSN (print): 2047-2919
ISSN (electronic): 2047-2927
Publisher: Wiley
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70168
DOI: 10.1111/andr.70168
PubMed id: 41486674
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