A new Swedish study published in the British Medical Journal has found that men who undergo infertility treatment are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Scientists from the Lund University in Sweden found that men who had Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a male infertility treatment, had an increased risk of prostate cancer in later life.
In Sweden, ICSI was first used in 1992. Every case has been registered since then.
The study examined the data of more than 1.2 million births from 1994 to 2014, and cancer cases.
The researchers said 97 percent of babies were conceived naturally, 1.7 percent were conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and 1.3 through ICSI. They found that 0.28 percent were diagnosed with prostate cancer in the natural conception group, 0.37 percent in the IVF group, and 0.42 percent in the ICSI group.
Lead study author Prof. Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman told the BBC, “The prostate cancer numbers are quite small, but these men are very young. They are a small, high-risk group, and we should be following them more closely.”
The researchers said more studies are required to investigate the exact link between male infertility treatment and prostate cancer risk.
Allan Pacey from the University of Sheffield said,” It has been proposed that male infertility might serve as a ‘canary in the coal mine’ for men’s health, which both men and their doctors should be better attuned to.”
“It is important to be clear that this is not because the techniques of assisted reproduction go on to cause prostate cancer, but probably because the two have a common cause in some way,” continued Pacey.
He added, “Perhaps all men who are diagnosed with a fertility problem in their 20s and 30s should be given a leaflet explaining what this might mean for them in their 50s and 60s, so that they can be aware of possible future problems, and be encouraged to visit their GP a bit quicker than they often do.”
However, according to Prostate Cancer UK, the researchers should take a broader look at age range before claiming that men taking infertility treatment have chances of developing the cancer.
Simon Grieveson from Prostate Cancer UK said it is important not to conclude anything based on this study. He said, “Prostate cancer is more common in men over the age of 50. The men involved in this study were younger on average, and therefore already have a very low risk of prostate cancer.”
“This study would need to look at a much broader age range to fully understand whether men who undergo fertility treatment actually have a higher risk overall,” he added. “If this can be proven, more research would then need to be done to determine the underlying cause. Until then, there is little evidence that there would be any benefit in monitoring these men more closely.” Grieveson added, “We believe it’s important that all men are aware of the risks of prostate cancer, and men concerned about the disease should speak to their GP. However, couples considering fertility treatment should not be put off by these results.”
