U.S. study: male infertility associated with testicular cancer

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (Chinese media) -- Men who are infertile

appear to have an increased risk of developing testicular cancer, according to a

report published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Testicular germ cell cancer, the most common cancer

among youngmen in industrialized countries, has become even more prevalent

during the last 30 to 50 years, according to background information in the

article. There is evidence that semen quality and male fertility have also

declined during this time in industrialized nations; however, it is unclear

whether these two trends are related.

Thomas Walsh, of the University of Washington School

of Medicine, Seattle, and colleagues analyzed data from 22,562 male partners of

couples seeking fertility treatment between 1967 and 1998 (4,549 of whom had

male factor infertility, based on a clinical presentation with abnormal semen

analysis criteria). Their records were linked to the state cancer registry,

which includes information about cancer cases confirmed between 1988 and2004.

A total of 34 of the 22,562 men were diagnosed with

testicular cancer at least one year after seeking treatment for infertility.

Compared with men of the same age in the general population -- whose records

were identified using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology

and End Results program -- men in couples seeking treatment for infertility were

1.3 times more likely to develop testicular cancer. Men with male factor

infertility were 2.8 more likely to develop testicular cancer than those without

this condition.

"In interpreting these data, we considered the

postulate that male factor infertility or its treatment could cause testicular

cancer," the authors write. "However, this theory is highly improbable given

that in many cases infertility treatment involves the use of assisted

reproductive technologies rather than specific medical or surgical treatment of

the male partner." It is also unlikely that the results representing a screening

phenomenon, in which men who seek treatment for infertility are diagnosed with a

previously unrecognized cancer because of diagnostic testing. Most cases of

testicular cancer in adults are diagnosed rapidly when a physical exam reveals a

nodule or swelling in the scrotum.

"A more plausible explanation is that a common

exposure underlies infertility and testicular cancer," the authors conclude.

Faulty DNA repair, or errors in the way the body responds to small areas of

damage in its genetic material, may contribute to both conditions, as may

environmental factors.