Testicular Cancer, Drugs and Infertility
How Your Lifestyle Might Affect Your Chances of Being a Father
Mar 1, 2009
A study in the medical journal Cancer, from the American Cancer Society, found that men who currently use marijuana or have used it in the past, are at increased risk of developing testicular cancer and risking their fertility.
1348 men were studied from Washington State. Of these, 369 had been diagnosed with testicular cancer between January 1999 and January 2006. They were asked to fill out questionnaires on their life time marijuana use. 979 of the men who were of a similar age, and healthy, were asked about their usage too.
The researchers concluded that those with testicular tumors were more likely to be current users of the drug and that the risk of cancer went up according to how much they used it and how young they were when they first tried it. Those who used it daily or weekly were at greater risk than those who used it less than once a week.
They allowed for other lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption but even when taking these factors into account, the study still showed a heightened risk among marijuana users.
They summarized that "an association was observed between marijuana use and the occurrence of nonseminoma testicular germ cell tumors".
Although this link is not yet causal (it hasn't been scientifically proven), the link is there and further studies will be needed to confirm the results.
Dr. Stephen Schwartz, a co-author of the study, said that not enough is known about the affects of marijuana to justify its use.
"In the absence of more certain information, a decision to smoke marijuana recreationally means that one is taking a chance on one's future health." (Cancer, Volume 115 Issue 5, 1 March 2009)
So if you don't want to be one of the one in six couples who require infertility treatment, don't use the drug, and particularly not heavily.
What Other Risk Factors are There for Testicular Cancer?
Some men are a higher risk of developing testicular cancer. They are:
- Men who have suffered from undescended testicles or other problems with the development of the testicles
- Men who have a family history of testicular cancer
- Men who are HIV positive
- White men have more of this type of cancer than black or other ethnic men, although doctors don't really know why.
I already Have Testicular Cancer - Can I Still Have Children?
Most sufferers of this type of cancer can still have children, although some will need fertility treatment from a specialist in order to get their partner pregnant. This is because the cancer usually occurs in only one testicle and full fertility is still present in the other testicle. The affected testicle can be removed without the need for chemotherapy. However, around 20% of men who have had cancer, will become infertile.
If your cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, your risk is slightly higher at 30%. If your doctor suggests chemotherapy, you should use a sperm bank to store your sperm so that you will still have a chance of becoming a father after the treatment. Your family doctor or oncologist will be able to refer you to a fertility specialist who can help you do this.
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