Postnatal Germ Cell Development in the Cryptorchid Testis: The Key to Explain Why Early Surgery Decreases the Risk of Malignancy

Study of 1,521 testicular biopsies from cryptorchid boys reveals that undifferentiated germ cells persist abnormally in undescended testes, remaining sensitive to elevated temperature. Early orchiopexy likely prevents malignancy by correcting this environment before mutations accumulate during cell replication, though prepubertal germ cell neoplasia remains rare outside syndromic cases.