Men who undergo vasectomies are no more likely to develop prostate cancer than are men who do not have the procedure done. A few studies in the early 1990s reported a moderately increased risk, and later studies found no increased risk. Confused?
This study attempted to sort out the confusion. It was conducted in New Zealand, a country considered ideal to examine any possible connection between vasectomy and prostate cancer because the researchers say the country has the highest vasectomy rates and mandatory reporting of all new cancer cases.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study reported on data from telephone interviews with 2,200 men ages 40 to 74. They were asked about their family and medical histories, health habits, and history of vasectomy. The data were linked to national cancer registries.
"Although the study was more than large enough to detect an increased prostate cancer risk associated with vasectomy, none was found," said one reviewer from the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The study also found that there was no increased risk of prostate cancer among men who had the procedure performed 25 or more years ago. |
