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# Vasectomy linked to lethal prostate cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vasectomy_linked_to_lethal_prostate_cancer_0715141231/
- Published: 2014-07-15T13:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T14:17:53.000Z
- Description: Among 49,405 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, those who had a vasectomy were 10% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, 22% more likely with high-grade disease and 19% more likely with lethal disease, a Journal of Clinical Oncology study reports.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Drug, Health News, #vivvo-import

Tuesday July 15, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Vasectomy, a common form of male contraception in the U.S. may increase the risk of high grade prostate cancer and aggressive prostate cancer, a study suggests in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.The study shows that men who had received vasectomy were 10%, 22% and 19% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, high-grade prostate cancer and lethal prostate cancer than those who did not receive the surgery. The study was based on data from 49,405 US men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were aged 40 to 75 years at baseline in 1986\. Among all participants with 25% receiving vasectomy, 6,023 were diagnosed with prostate cancer during the follow-up to 2010, including 811 lethal cases.The study also finds that among men who receiving regular prostate-specific antigen screening, those who received vasectomy were56% more likely to develop lethal prostate cancer, compared with those who did not receive the surgery.The study does not explain how vasectomy may increase the risk of prostate cancer. Instead, it finds that the associations between vasectomy and risk of prostate cancer have nothing to do with sex hormones, sexually transmitted infections or cancer treatment.And researchers claim that "The results do not appear to be due to detection bias, and confounding by infections or cancer treatment is unlikely." (David Liu, PHD)Siddiqui MM, Wilson KM, Epstein MM, Rider JR, Martin NE, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL, Mucci LA. Vasectomy and Risk of Aggressive Prostate Cancer: A 24-Year Follow-Up Study. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2014 Jul 7**The potential problems with vasectomy**

## Complications

Short-term possible complications include infection, bruising and bleeding into the scrotum resulting in a collection of blood known as a hematoma. A study in 2012 demonstrated an infection rate of 2.5% post vasectomy. The stitches on the small incisions required are prone to irritation, though this can be minimized by covering them with gauze or small adhesive bandages. The primary long-term complications are chronic pain conditions or syndromes that can affect any of the scrotal, pelvic and/or lower-abdominal regions, collectively known as post-vasectomy pain syndrome. Though vasectomy results in increases in circulating immune complexes, these increases are transient. Data based on animal and human studies indicate these changes do not result in increased incidence of atherosclerosis. The risk of prostate and testicular cancer is not affected by vasectomy.

Long-term post-vasectomy pain is experienced at a frequency which ranges between 15% and 33% of vasectomy patients.

### Post-vasectomy pain syndrome

Main article: post-vasectomy pain syndrome

Post-vasectomy pain syndrome (PVPS) is a chronic and sometimes debilitating condition that may develop immediately or several years after vasectomy. One survey cites studies that estimate incidence at one case every ten to thirty vasectomies. The pain can be constant orchialgia or epididymal pain (epididymitis), or it can be pain that occurs only at particular times such as with intercourse, ejaculation, or physical exertion.

### Dementia (primary progressive aphasia)

Researchers have reported an association between vasectomy and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), a rare variety of frontotemporal dementia. The rate of vasectomy in PPA patients was 40% (19/47) vs. 16% (9/57) in normal controls. This difference met statistical significance (p=0.02). The study also found that there was a younger age of PPA onset for patients who had undergone vasectomy (58.8 years of age vs. 62.9 years; p=0.03). However, some doubt has been cast on the reality of this association.

Cited from wikipedia