Let’s face it, the idea of having a vasectomy is not something most men look forward to. Recent reports suggesting a potential association between having a vasectomy and the future development of prostate cancer certainly don’t help. It’s important that those considering a vasectomy know the facts.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology last year from Harvard examined 49,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In this long–term study of over, 6,023 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 25% of the entire group had undergone vasectomy in the past. The study found a slightly increased incidence of prostate cancer in the men who had undergone vasectomy, and those cancers tended to be higher grade, more aggressive cancers.

Another study last year published in JAMA reviewed the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and determined that there are too many confounding variables in these men to reliably conclude that the increased incidence of prostate cancer is necessarily caused by vasectomy. This study concluded the risk of vasectomy causing prostate cancer, if any, is quite small. A number of other studies previously published have come to the same conclusion.

The team at Sarasota Prostate Care believes that more studies are needed to determine if there is a link between a vasectomy and prostate cancer. However, at this point there is minimal documented risk of vasectomy causing prostate cancer in the published literature. If you or someone you know is considering a vasectomy, please share this important information with them.

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