The effect of vasectomy reversal on prostate cancer risk: International meta-analysis of 684,660 men with vasectomies

Evidence on the effect of vasectomy on prostate cancer is conflicting, with the issue of detection bias a key criticism. We examine the effect of vasectomy reversal on prostate cancer risk in a cohort of vasectomised men; evidence of a protective effect would be consistent with a harmful effect of vasectomy on prostate cancer risk, while nullifying the issue of detection bias.

Data were sourced from five population-level linked health databases located in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis compared the risk of prostate cancer in those with vasectomy reversal (n=9,754) to those with a vasectomy but no reversal (n=684,660); data from each jurisdiction were combined in a meta-analysis.

The combined analysis showed no protective effect of vasectomy reversal on incidence of prostate cancer when compared to those who had vasectomy alone (HR, 95%CI: 0.92, 0.70-1.21). These results align with previous studies that found no evidence of a link between vasectomy and prostate cancer.

The Journal of urology. 2018 Mar 07 [Epub ahead of print]

Sean Randall, James Boyd, Emma Fuller, Caroline Brooks, Carole Morris, Craig C Earle, Anna Ferrante, Rachael Moorin, James Semmens, C D'Arcy J Holman

Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia., Swansea University, Swansea, Wales., National Services Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland., Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada; Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada., School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia.

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PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29524505

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