Link Between Prostate Cancer and Vasectomy Unlikely

No association between vasectomy and high-grade, advanced-stage, or fatal prostate cancer was observed in a recent meta-analysis.

The relationship between vasectomy and prostate cancer risk is controversial, despite nearly 30 years of study.
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In order to further explore the issue, researchers conducted a meta-analysis involving 53 studies (16 cohort studies, 33 case-control studies, and 4 cross-sectional studies) with nearly 15 million participants in total and follow-up ranging from 2 to 24 years.

Among studies with low risk of bias, a weak association was observed among cohort studies and a similar but nonsignificant association was observed among case-control studies. When studies with moderate to high risk of bias were included, effect estimates were further from the null. Associations between vasectomy and high-grade, fatal, and advanced prostate cancer were not significant.

“This review found no association between vasectomy and high-grade, advanced-stage, or fatal prostate cancer,” the researchers concluded. “There was a weak association between vasectomy and any prostate cancer that was closer to the null with increasingly robust study design. This association is unlikely to be causal and should not preclude the use of vasectomy as a long-term contraceptive option.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Bhindi B, Wallis CJD, Nayan M, et al. The association between vasectomy and prostate cancer [Published online July 17, 2017]. JAMA Intern Med. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.2791.