Germany, France, Italy and England head a "league table" of nations compiled by cancer statisticians.

This compares with nations such as Korea, and England's Group F opponents Nigeria, who have low rates of the disease.

The figures were compiled by Cancer Research UK from international data released last year.

It has spotted that the disease - the most common cancer in younger men - has risen by 84% in the UK since the late 1970s.

The reason for the increase is not yet known.

Spotting changes

Currently the incidence of the disease runs at 5.6 cases per 100,000 men.

This compares with 5.8 in Italy, 6.3 in France, 6.2 in Sweden and 8.9 in Germany.

Korea and Nigeria have just 0.6 per 100,000.

Although cure rates for the disease are impressively high, doctors are keen to raise awareness of the condition so that it can be treated early, when a cure is more likely.

We do not know why the incidence has risen so sharply over the last century

Dr Douglas Easton, Cambridge University

Early signs of the illness are changes in one testicle, such as a lump, swelling or discomfort and men are encouraged to check themselves on a regular basis.

Professor Gordon McVie, joint director general of Cancer Research UK, said: "The cause of testicular cancer remains a mystery, but we do know that some men have a higher risk of developing the disease.

"If one or both of a boy's testicles hasn't descended, he has a greater chance of developing testicular cancer.

"The risk is also higher if a close family member has been diagnosed with the disease."

Gene clue

This fact leads experts to believe that genetics may play a significant role in the development of the disease.

Dr Douglas Easton, from the Cancer Research UK genetic epidemiology unit at Cambridge University, said: "We know there is a gene on the X chromosome that is linked to testicular cancer and work is going on to identify several others.

"But we do not know why the incidence has risen so sharply over the last century."

At the moment, approximately 1,800 men a year are diagnosed with testicular cancer, compared with 850 in the late 1970s.