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  • Title: Could vasectomy accelerate testicular cancer? The importance of pre-vasectomy examination.
    Author: Thornhill JA, Butler M, Fitzpatrick JM.
    Journal: Br J Urol; 1987 Apr; 59(4):367. PubMed ID: 3580788.
    Abstract:
    Of the 23 patients in Ireland who were diagnosed with testicular tumors in 1980-85, 3 had a history of recent vasectomy. These 3 patients had several attributes in common, including age between 35-38 years and the development of pain and swelling within 8 weeks of vasectomy. A pathology of mixed elements of seminoma and malignant teratoma intermediate was found in all 3 vasectomized men compared with only 7% in the broader population of tumor patients. All patients had Stage I testicular tumors and remained well after treatment. Although it is unlikely that the vasectomy caused the testicular tumors, vasectomy may produce accelerated development of subclinical testicular tumors. This could be a result of the immunological processes that occur after sterilization. Given the fact that the cancer frequency observed in this series (3 cases) was significantly higher than that expected by chance (0.8 cases), the relevance of vasectomy to subsequent testicular cancer requires further investigation. A thorough testicular examination should form a part of the vasectomy screening process and there should be careful follow-up and attention to cases in which pain and swelling develop.
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