Men opting for the snip could be at greater risk of prostate cancer: Vasectomy linked to most lethal form of the disease, study finds



Study by Harvard scientists found having a vasectomy is linked to a 10 per cent increased risk of developing most lethal form of the disease

Largest ever examination of the link between vasectomy and cancer involved data from 50,000 men over a 24-year period

Some 16 per cent of men in the UK under 70 have had the contraceptive op



Men who have the snip increase their risk of suffering fatal prostate cancer, according to 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.



A study by scientists at Havard University found having a vasectomy - a common form of contraception - is linked to a 10 per cent increased risk of developing the most lethal form of prostate cancer

Vasectomy is a common form of contraception and is more popular in Britain than almost anywhere else in the world.



Some 16 per cent of British men under 70 have had the operation. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men.



The researchers, whose work was 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, 6,023 cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed, including 811 lethal 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. They wrote: ‘The findings of this study warrant continued epidemiologic and experimental research into clarifying the association of vasectomy with prostate cancer.’



Prostate cancer, pictured under the microscope, is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men. Men who had a vasectomy had a particularly raised risk of developing the forms of the cancer most likely to kill

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.’



Co-author Lorelei Mucci, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, added: ‘The results support the hypothesis that vasectomy is associated with an increased risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer.’

But he pointed out that although the results are statistically significant, in terms of absolute risk the figures are low. Just 16 out of every 1,000 men in the study died from prostate cancer over a 24-year period.



A vasectomy is considered a safe operation, but, even disregarding the new findings, there are risks associated with the procedure.

They include infections, long term testicular pain, blood clots in the tissue surrounding the operated area and hematomas – painful lumps in the scrotum.

In a very small number of cases – around one in every 2,000 – the tubes that are cut during the vasectomy reconnect themselves, effectively reversing the procedure and making a man fertile again.

Apart from condoms, having a vasectomy is the only form of male contraceptive, a situation scientists have been trying to improve upon for decades.

Researchers are confident a hormonal contraceptive for men will be found in the next few years, most likely in the form of an oral tablet similar to the pill taken by women.