MEN who have the snip increase their risk of suffering fatal prostate cancer, according to new research.
A study by Harvard scientists has found that those who have undergone a vasectomy could be 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
The research — the largest ever examination of the link between vasectomy and prostate cancer — involved data from 50,000 men whose health was tracked for 24 years.
It found men who had the procedure were at an increased risk of getting an advanced or lethal form of the disease.
More than 30,000 men undergo a vasectomy, a common form of contraception, in Australia each year.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australian men accounting for about 30 per cent of all new cancers in men.
About 20,810 Australian men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014.
The researchers, whose work has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,analysed the health records of 49,405 American men who were followed between 1986 and 2010.
During that time, 6023 cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed including 811 fatal cases.
One in four of the men in the study reported having a vasectomy.
The researchers found the men who had a vasectomy had a particularly raised risk of developing the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer which are most likely to kill.
They had a 20 per cent raised risk of getting an advanced form of the disease, and a 19 per cent raised risk of dying.
The authors emphasised that their study had only established a statistical link between the operation and the disease — and they did not suggest that vasectomies were directly causing the cancer.
They concluded, however, that urgent investigation was needed to establish if and why the surgical procedure might be increasing the numbers of those with cancer.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia director of research programs Dr Miranda Xhilaga described the study as important, but said further studies were needed on the topic.
“This is an important study that points to a relationship between aggressive prostate cancer and vasectomy,” she said.
“However, more research is needed to strengthen this finding and conclude that is the case.”
Dr Xhilaga said vasectomy is known to increase, albeit slightly, the testosterone levels in the blood and prostate cancer feeds on testosterone.
“Therefore, there has been a long held view, and controversy, between risk of prostate cancer and vasectomy.”
The study’s author Kathryn Wilson said: “The decision to opt for a vasectomy as a form of birth control is a highly personal one and a man should discuss the risks and benefits with his physician.”
http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/harvard-scientists-find-vasectomy-raises-risk-of-prostate-cancer/story-fnii5yv4-1226986393828
A study by Harvard scientists has found that those who have undergone a vasectomy could be 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
The research — the largest ever examination of the link between vasectomy and prostate cancer — involved data from 50,000 men whose health was tracked for 24 years.
It found men who had the procedure were at an increased risk of getting an advanced or lethal form of the disease.
More than 30,000 men undergo a vasectomy, a common form of contraception, in Australia each year.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australian men accounting for about 30 per cent of all new cancers in men.
About 20,810 Australian men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014.
The researchers, whose work has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology,analysed the health records of 49,405 American men who were followed between 1986 and 2010.
During that time, 6023 cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed including 811 fatal cases.
One in four of the men in the study reported having a vasectomy.
The researchers found the men who had a vasectomy had a particularly raised risk of developing the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer which are most likely to kill.
They had a 20 per cent raised risk of getting an advanced form of the disease, and a 19 per cent raised risk of dying.
The authors emphasised that their study had only established a statistical link between the operation and the disease — and they did not suggest that vasectomies were directly causing the cancer.
They concluded, however, that urgent investigation was needed to establish if and why the surgical procedure might be increasing the numbers of those with cancer.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia director of research programs Dr Miranda Xhilaga described the study as important, but said further studies were needed on the topic.
“This is an important study that points to a relationship between aggressive prostate cancer and vasectomy,” she said.
“However, more research is needed to strengthen this finding and conclude that is the case.”
Dr Xhilaga said vasectomy is known to increase, albeit slightly, the testosterone levels in the blood and prostate cancer feeds on testosterone.
“Therefore, there has been a long held view, and controversy, between risk of prostate cancer and vasectomy.”
The study’s author Kathryn Wilson said: “The decision to opt for a vasectomy as a form of birth control is a highly personal one and a man should discuss the risks and benefits with his physician.”
http://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/harvard-scientists-find-vasectomy-raises-risk-of-prostate-cancer/story-fnii5yv4-1226986393828