Infertile Men Have Higher Odds of Developing Testicular Cancer

Men who experience infertility problems may be at greater risk for developing testicular cancer. Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy among young American men and it seems infertile men have three times greater risk than men in the overall population, of developing the cancer.

Dr. Thomas Walsh and his Colleagues at the University of California reported in the February 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine on their recent study, the largest in the U.S. to consider the link between testicular cancer and infertility. The study evaluated medical data gathered during evaluation at infertility treatment centers for over 22,000 California men from 1967 to 1998. The men’s medical data established their infertility and according to the researchers, determined the infertile men “were 2.8 times more likely to develop testicular cancer relative to the general population.” Within a year of their search for infertility treatment thirty-four of the men had developed testicular cancer. From 1975 to 2002 cases of testicular cancer almost doubled. The authors said sperm quality and fertility declined during that time.

Some factors seem to increase a man’s odds of developing testicular cancer, according to Yale Medical Group. These include testicular trauma, cigarette or marijuana smoking, going through puberty early, or being exposed to toxic substances such as lead, that for years was found in house paints. A few other factors that may increase a man’s odds are being Caucasian, having a testicle that didn’t descend, and family history of the cancer. Researchers however, still aren’t exactly sure what causes testicular cancer, the leading form of malignancy in American men from 15 to 34. Things men can watch for to try and detect testicular cancer early are a lump in a testicle, groin ache, swollen breasts, and tiredness for no apparent reason.

The study determined a common source possibly for both problems, but do not believe that infertility treatment is what leads to testicular cancer. The researchers wrote, “A more plausible explanation is that a common exposure underlies infertility and testicular cancer,” and prior research points to severe infertility being caused by faulty DNA repair which also may be linked to causing tumors. The authors also noted, “The increased risk of testicular cancer among all cohort members may be the result of unmeasured confounding, whereby some additional factor, common to all members of the cohort, placed men at increased testicular cancer risk.”

Based on the new study, researchers aren’t exactly sure of the link between testicular cancer and infertility, but they don’t feel it is from fertility treatment. They actually think the link may either be environmental factors, faulty DNA repair, or problems with the way the body responds to small damaged areas of genetic material. Though it seems infertile men do have an increased risk for testicular cancer, the risk is still overall pretty low. More research is needed to look more at the causes of each and determine if there is a definite link, but in the mean time, men can perform self evaluations to try and catch testicular cancer early, notifying their doctors of any concerns or questions.