VASECTOMY & PROSTATE CANCER RISK

Despite the fact that the majority of scientific evidence suggests no association between vasectomy and the risk of prostate cancer, several previously published studies have raised concerns that men with a family history of prostate cancer, and men who undergo vasectomy at a young age, may be at an increased lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer following vasectomy. A newly published study in the Journal of Urology adds further weight to prior studies showing that vasectomy is not associated with an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. This clinical study was performed by scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington.

More than 1,000 men recently diagnosed with prostate cancer were compared to 942 men without prostate cancer. All of these study volunteers were matched with each other in terms of age, race, and other important factors known to be related to prostate cancer risk.

Following detailed interviews with all of the men participating in this study, the researchers found absolutely no difference in the number of men in either group who had previously undergone vasectomy. In both groups of men, 36 percent had previously undergone vasectomy for the purpose of sterilization. Furthermore, the men who had undergone vasectomy at a young age did not appear to experience any increased subsequent risk of developing prostate cancer when compared to the men who had undergone vasectomy later in life, and when compared to the men who had never undergone vasectomy.

The findings of this clinical study should be reassuring to men who are considering sterilization by vasectomy (at least with respect to their lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer).