Testicular Cancer Risk Increased With Marijuana

marijuana smokers had a 70% greater risk of testicular cancer

Some time ago we reported at Ukmedix News that the use of marijuana over time could significantly increase the chances of a man suffering from erectile dysfunction. Further research done at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre shows that not only are you in danger of becoming impotent by smoking marijuana but you could be opening yourself up to suffering from the most aggressive version of testicular cancer.

The research which was made available in the medical journal Cancer explains that marijuana smokers had a 70% greater risk of testicular cancer and that the risk was particularly great for those men who smoke marijuana weekly and who had made use of it regularly since their teenage years. The researchers also explained that the connection with marijuana and testicular cancer seemed to be particularly focused on nonseminoma which is a type of testicular malignancy that normally appears in men between the ages of 20 and 35 and which is responsible for around 40% of all testicular cancer incidences. The other type of testicular cancer namely seminoma is more common in men in their thirties and forties.

Speaking on behalf of the researchers, Professor Stephen Schwartz explained that this was the first study which had focused specifically on the connection between the use of marijuana and testicular cancer. Other studies have examined that other factors which could increase the likelihood of testicular cancer and they include family history, abnormal testicular development and undescended testicles.

The researchers noted that the use of marijuana in developed countries such as America, Australia and Europe has risen considerably over the previous 30 or 40 years and the number of men developing cancer of the testes had also increased in this time.

The researchers were aware that men who tend to use marijuana also tend to smoke and drink as well as to live unhealthily generally which increases the likelihood of all types of cancer however they felt that there was a direct connection between marijuana and testicular cancer which needs to be explored further.