Dataset Information

Vasectomy and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Previous reports have shown an association between vasectomy and prostate cancer (PCa). However, there exist significant discrepancies between studies and systematic reviews due to a lack of strong causal association and residual confounding factors such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.

Objective

To assess the association between vasectomy and PCa, in both unadjusted and PSA screen-adjusted studies.

Evidence acquisition

We performed a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. The PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched in January 2022 for studies that analyzed the association between vasectomy and PCa.

Evidence synthesis

A total of 37 studies including 16 931 805 patients met our inclusion criteria. A pooled analysis from all studies showed a significant association between vasectomy and any-grade PCa (odds ratio [OR] 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.37; p < 0.001; I² = 96%), localized PCa (OR 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.11; p < 0.00001; I² = 31%), or advanced PCa (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.13; p = 0.006; I² = 0%). The association with PCa remained significant when the analyses were restricted to studies with a low risk of bias (OR 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10; p = 0.02; I² = 48%) or cohort studies (OR 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04-1.13; p < 0.0001; I² = 64%). Among studies adjusted for PSA screening, the association with localized PCa (OR 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.09; p < 0.001; I² = 0%) remained significant. Conversely, vasectomy was no longer associated with localized high-grade (p = 0.19), advanced (p = 0.22), and lethal (p = 0.42) PCa.

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis found an association between vasectomy and any, mainly localized, PCa. However, the effect estimates of the association were increasingly close to null when examining studies of robust design and high quality. On exploratory analyses including studies, which adjusted for PSA screening, the association for aggressive and/or advanced PCa diminished.

Patient summary

In this study, we found an association between vasectomy and the risk of developing localized prostate cancer without being able to determine whether the procedure leads to a higher prostate cancer incidence.

SUBMITTER: Baboudjian M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9130083 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Vasectomy and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Baboudjian Michael M Rajwa Pawel P Barret Eric E Beauval Jean-Baptiste JB Brureau Laurent L Créhange Gilles G Dariane Charles C Fiard Gaëlle G Fromont Gaëlle G Gauthé Mathieu M Mathieu Romain R Renard-Penna Raphaële R Roubaud Guilhem G Ruffion Alain A Sargos Paul P Rouprêt Morgan M Ploussard Guillaume G

European urology open science 20220519

<h4>Context</h4>Previous reports have shown an association between vasectomy and prostate cancer (PCa). However, there exist significant discrepancies between studies and systematic reviews due to a lack of strong causal association and residual confounding factors such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the association between vasectomy and PCa, in both unadjusted and PSA screen-adjusted studies.<h4>Evidence acquisition</h4>We performed a systematic review ...[more]

PMID: 35633829

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceDespite 3 decades of study, there remains ongoing debate regarding whether vasectomy is associated with prostate cancer.ObjectiveTo determine if vasectomy is associated with prostate cancer.Data sourcesThe MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for studies indexed from database inception to March 21, 2017, without language restriction.Study selectionCohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies reporting relative effect estimates for the association between vasectomy and prostate cancer were included.Data extraction and synthesisTwo investigators performed study selection independently. Data were pooled separately by study design type using random-effects models. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess risk of bias.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was any diagnosis of prostate cancer. Secondary outcomes were high-grade, advanced, and fatal prostate cancer.ResultsFifty-three studies (16 cohort studies including 2 563 519 participants, 33 case-control studies including 44 536 participants, and 4 cross-sectional studies including 12 098 221 participants) were included. Of these, 7 cohort studies (44%), 26 case-control studies (79%), and all 4 cross-sectional studies were deemed to have a moderate to high risk of bias. Among studies deemed to have a low risk of bias, a weak association was found among cohort studies (7 studies; adjusted rate ratio, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.09; P < .001; I2 = 9%) and a similar but nonsignificant association was found among case-control studies (6 studies; adjusted odds ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.88-1.29; P = .54; I2 = 37%). Effect estimates were further from the null when studies with a moderate to high risk of bias were included. Associations between vasectomy and high-grade prostate cancer (6 studies; adjusted rate ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.89-1.21; P = .67; I2 = 55%), advanced prostate cancer (6 studies; adjusted rate ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.98-1.20; P = .11; I2 = 18%), and fatal prostate cancer (5 studies; adjusted rate ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.92-1.14; P = .68; I2 = 26%) were not significant (all cohort studies). Based on these data, a 0.6% (95% CI, 0.3%-1.2%) absolute increase in lifetime risk of prostate cancer associated with vasectomy and a population-attributable fraction of 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2%-0.9%) were calculated.Conclusions and relevanceThis review found no association between vasectomy and high-grade, advanced-stage, or fatal prostate cancer. There was a weak association between vasectomy and any prostate cancer that was closer to the null with increasingly robust study design. This association is unlikely to be causal and should not preclude the use of vasectomy as a long-term contraceptive option.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To determine the association between exposure to radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer and subsequent second malignancies (second primary cancers). DESIGN:Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. DATA SOURCES:Medline and Embase up to 6 April 2015 with no restrictions on year or language. STUDY SELECTION:Comparative studies assessing the risk of second malignancies in patients exposed or unexposed to radiotherapy in the course of treatment for prostate cancer were selected by two reviewers independently with any disagreement resolved by consensus. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS:Two reviewers independently extracted study characteristics and outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Outcomes were synthesized with random effects models and Mantel-Haenszel weighting. Unadjusted odds ratios and multivariable adjusted hazard ratios, when available, were pooled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Second cancers of the bladder, colorectal tract, rectum, lung, and hematologic system. RESULTS:Of 3056 references retrieved, 21 studies were selected for analysis. Most included studies were large multi-institutional reports but had moderate risk of bias. The most common type of radiotherapy was external beam; 13 studies used patients treated with surgery as controls and eight used patients who did not undergo radiotherapy as controls. The length of follow-up among studies varied. There was increased risk of cancers of the bladder (four studies; adjusted hazard ratio 1.67, 95% confidence interval 1.55 to 1.80), colorectum (three studies; 1.79, 1.34 to 2.38), and rectum (three studies; 1.79, 1.34 to 2.38), but not cancers of the hematologic system (one study; 1.64, 0.90 to 2.99) or lung (two studies; 1.45, 0.70 to 3.01), after radiotherapy compared with the risk in those unexposed to radiotherapy. The odds of a second cancer varied depending on type of radiotherapy: treatment with external beam radiotherapy was consistently associated with increased odds while brachytherapy was not. Among the patients who underwent radiotherapy, from individual studies, the highest absolute rates reported for bladder, colorectal, and rectal cancers were 3.8%, 4.2%, and 1.2%, respectively, while the lowest reported rates were 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.3%. CONCLUSION:Radiotherapy for prostate cancer was associated with higher risks of developing second malignancies of the bladder, colon, and rectum compared with patients unexposed to radiotherapy, but the reported absolute rates were low. Further studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm these findings.

Dataset Information

Vasectomy and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context

Objective

Evidence acquisition

Evidence synthesis

Conclusions

Patient summary

Publications

Vasectomy and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Similar Datasets

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