Vasectomy Ups the Risk of Developing Prostate Cancer: Study

Getting a vasectomy can up the risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study.

Vasectomy is a surgical procedure for male sterilization that involves tying or sealing together the vasa differentia to prevent the release of sperms to the seminal stream. Experts at the Harvard School of Public Health found men who underwent this procedure had 10 percent increased susceptibility of getting prostate cancer. The risk rates for developing serious and aggressive form of prostate cancer rose by another 20 to 19 percent and 56 percent for those who received regular prostate specific antigen screening (PSA).

Researchers looked at 49,405 American men aged between 40 and 75 during 1986 and 2010 from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. At the end of the trial, they identified 6,023 cases of prostate cancer and around 811 people were diagnosed with advanced form of the disease. Nearly one-in-four of these participants had a vasectomy.

"This study follows our initial publication on vasectomy and prostate cancer in 1993, with 19 additional years of follow-up and tenfold greater number of cases. The results support the hypothesis that vasectomy is associated with an increased risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer," said Lorelei Mucci, co-author and associate professor of epidemiology at the HSPH in a news release.

Almost 16 in every 1,000 men were diagnosed with lethal prostate cancer but the additional risk for developing the disease was mostly low. This association was seen even after excluding other possibilities like changes in the level of sex hormones, sexually transmitted infections and other cancer treatments sought by patients who had vasectomy. In addition, the study warns that men who undergo the procedure  before 38 have elevated chances of suffering from prostate cancer in later years.

"We saw that in men who had a vasectomy earlier in life there was a greater risk of developing advanced or lethal forms of the disease. This may be because of the timings and the impact on the prostate, anything may be happening in earlier life that can increase this risk when changes are made," added Mucci, reports the Telegraph.

According to recent estimated data, 15 percent of American men opt for vasectomy as birth control. The current study urges doctors and patients to consider the risks and benefits of vasectomy to curb the incidence of prostate cancer.

More information is available online in the journal of Clinical Oncology.