A retrospective cohort study of vasectomy and prostate cancer in US men

Article Abstract:

Men who have undergone a vasectomy may have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than those who have not. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-associated deaths among men. Among 25,340 men studied through surveys completed by their wives, 13,034 had undergone a vasectomy and 12,306 had not undergone a vasectomy by 1976. Ninety-six of these men were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1976 and 1989. Men who had undergone a vasectomy had a significantly higher risk of prostate cancer than those who were had not had a vasectomy. The risk of prostate cancer was significantly higher in men who had had their vasectomy before 1956 than in those whose vasectomy was more recent. A vasectomy may decrease the secretion of various substances by the prostate gland, and does lower the volume of seminal plasma. These changes in prostate gland function may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Complications and side effects, Prostate cancer

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A long-term study of mortality in men who have undergone vasectomy

Article Abstract:

Men who have undergone a vasectomy may not have a higher risk of death or death from cardiovascular disease than other men. A survey in 1989 compared 13,124 men who had undergone a vasectomy in 1976 to 12,392 men who had not. Among the men with a vasectomy who were free of cancer at the beginning of the study, 487 died; 193 of cardiovascular disease and 173 of cancer. Among the men without a vasectomy who were free of cancer at the beginning of the study, 565 died; 253 of cardiovascular disease and 168 of cancer. Vasectomy was associated with fewer deaths from all causes, and fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease. No association was found between vasectomy and risk of death from cancer. But risk of death from cancer (mainly lung cancer) was higher among men who had undergone a vasectomy at least 20 years earlier, compared with those who had not undergone a vasectomy.

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Plasma organochlorine levels and the risk of breast cancer

Article Abstract:

Exposure to organochlorines found in pesticides does not appear to increase a woman's risk of breast cancer. Researchers tested blood samples from 240 women who had given blood several years before developing breast cancer and 240 who did not develop breast cancer. The samples were tested for two organochlorine compounds, 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Women with the highest blood levels of these chemicals actually had a slightly lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to women with the lowest blood levels.

Breast cancer, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Organochlorine compounds, Organic chlorine compounds

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