Post Date April, 15 2023
On February 23rd, the Journal of the American Medical Association in the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that men without fertility have an increased risk of testicular cancer.
According to the background information of the article, testicular germ cell cancer is a common cancer among young men in industrialized countries, and the disease has become more prevalent in the last 30 to 50 years. There is evidence to suggest that the sperm quality and fertility of men in industrialized countries are also on a downward trend during this period, but it is not yet clear whether these two phenomena are related.
Dr. Thomas Walsh and colleagues from the University of Washington School of Medicine analyzed the data of 22562 couples seeking treatment for infertility from 1967 to 1998 (according to clinical abnormal semen analysis standards, 4549 couples were unable to conceive due to male reasons). Their medical records refer to the state cancer registry, which contains information on patients diagnosed with cancer from 1988 to 2004. 34 out of 22562 males were diagnosed with testicular cancer at least one year after seeking infertility treatment. Compared to peers in the general population (whose medical records are from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and Final Results program in the United States), the proportion of patients seeking infertility treatment suffering from testicular cancer is 1% of the total population. 3 times. The proportion of testicular cancer among individuals who are unable to conceive due to their own factors is 2. 8x.
When interpreting these data, we also considered factors related to male infertility or the possibility of treatment leading to testicular cancer, "the authors wrote. But this assumption is far from tenable, as many people receiving infertility treatment use assisted reproductive technology rather than special drugs or surgeries. The possibility of men seeking infertility treatment discovering testicular cancer that has not been discovered in the past during examinations also does not exist, as most adult testicular cancer patients who discover nodules or swelling in the scrotum during physical examinations quickly make a diagnosis.
One possible explanation is that some common exposures are causes of infertility and testicular cancer, "the authors conclude. The failure of DNA repair caused by environmental factors, or the erroneous response of the human body to small-scale damage to genetic material, may be related to these two diseases.
Beware of "postmenopausal" when taking a hot water bath: However, as you may know, hot water sitz baths may have adverse effects on the patient's testicles, and should generally be prohibited for men who have not given birth. This is because prolonged hot water sitz baths can increase the temperature of the testes, thereby hindering their spermatogenic function. In severe cases, it can also cause changes in other functions and structures of the testes, leading to testicular damage and reduced testosterone secretion. And it may lead to the early occurrence of partial androgen deficiency syndrome in middle-aged and elderly men, so it is important to be cautious when using hot water sitz baths for general chronic prostatitis patients.
