Correlation Between Vasectomy, Risk of Developing Localized Prostate Cancer

Findings showed an association between vasectomy and mostly localized prostate cancer, although researchers noted the risk appeared to be low and could not say whether the link was causal.

“The results of this study need to be interpreted with caution,” wrote authors in the European Urology Open Science. “Translating our results into clinical practice is likely to dissuade patients from undergoing vasectomy, whereas the absolute risk may be close to zero. Clear, fair, and understandable information should be provided about a possible association between vasectomy and prostate cancer, without being able to determine whether there is any causality.”

The systematic review and meta-analysis spanned 37 studies involving 16.9 million patients.

When investigators pooled data from all the studies, associations between vasectomy and any grade, localized, and advanced prostate cancer were significant. Odds ratios were 1.23 for any grade prostate cancer, 1.08 for localized prostate cancer, and 1.07 for advanced prostate cancer, according to study authors.

“However, the effect estimates of the association between vasectomy and prostate cancer were increasingly closer to the null when analyzing studies with robust study design and study quality,” wrote researchers.

Odds ratios for prostate cancer fell to 1.09 when analysis was limited to cohort studies, and to 1.06 when only studies with a low risk of bias were included.

In studies that adjusted for prostate-specific antigen screening, the link between vasectomy and localized prostate cancer remained (researchers reported a 1.06 odds ratio), but associations with localized high-grade, advanced, or lethal prostate cancer did not.

“Future studies are needed to prospectively assess the possible causality between vasectomy and prostate cancer, with attention to potential residual confounders that were not taken into account in large cohort studies,” concluded researchers.

Reference:
Baboudjian M, Rajwa P, Barret E, et al. Vasectomy and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022;41:35-44. doi:10.1016/j.euros.2022.04.012