Testicular Cancer May Raise Prostate Cancer Risk: Study

But it's too soon to make any recommendations, and overall risk is low, researcher says

By Robert Preidt

Monday, February 23, 2015

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MONDAY, Feb. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Men who've had testicular cancer may be at increased risk for prostate cancer, although that risk is low, a new study finds.

"Men with a history of testicular cancer should talk with their doctor about assessing their risk for prostate cancer, given there may be an increased risk," said senior study author Dr. Mohummad Minhaj Siddiqui, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 180,000 American men for the study. They found that 12.6 percent of those with a history of testicular cancer developed prostate cancer by age 80, compared with 2.8 percent of those who never had testicular cancer.

Men who'd had testicular cancer were also more likely to develop intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer, 5.8 percent versus 1.1 percent, the study found.

Overall, testicular cancer was associated with a 4.7 times higher risk for prostate cancer and 5.2 times higher risk for intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer, the researchers said.

It's important to keep in mind that the chance of intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer is low, and that 95 percent of testicular cancer patients will not get prostate cancer, Siddiqui noted.

The study is scheduled for presentation this week at an American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Orlando, Fla. Studies presented at meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

"It is too soon to make any practice recommendations based on this single study, but the findings provide groundwork for further research into the biologic link between the two diseases," Siddiqui said in a society news release.

SOURCE: American Society for Clinical Oncology, news release, Feb. 23, 2015

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