Relatives of men with fertility issues may be at higher risk of cancer

Relatives of men with fertility problems may have an increased risk of cancer, which varies considerably from family to family.

One study found that some relatives within three generations of such men were more likely to develop a range of cancers, including those affecting the colon, testicles and uterus. But the risk varies between family lines and also depends on whether a man is infertile or less. Fertility.

Male infertility has been linked to a number of Health problems, such as cardiovascular conditions. Previous research has also pointed to this. Links between male infertility and increased cancer risk for relatives of such men.

Jomi Ramsay at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and her colleagues suspect it may vary in families. To find out, they analyzed the sperm counts of 360 men who produced fewer than 1.5 million sperm per milliliter of semen, which is considered very low, and 426 who produced no sperm at all. These individuals were age-matched with more than 5,600 other people who had at least one biological child. The researchers do not know if any of the participants were transgender.

They then looked up information about someone from the Utah database. Cancer Diagnosis in first-, second- and third-degree male relatives.

The team found relatives within three generations of men with Kim Sperm Cancers of the colon and testicles were more likely than in the general population, while some of those that were associated with men without sperm included sarcoma, Hodgkin lymphomas, and cancers of the uterus and thyroid. Cancer was more likely. For both of these groups, bone and joint cancers occurred at much higher rates than in the general population.

Next, the researchers used specially developed software to detect trends within different families — in both fertile and infertile groups — for increased risk of any combination of cancers in 34 body parts. . This led to “clustering” that allowed them to detect trends within families.

Among relatives of men who had no sperm, two-thirds had no higher risk of cancer than the general population. However, others had significantly increased risks of various types of cancer, which varied within families, with some having higher risks of cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults.

For relatives of men with low sperm counts, the risk of at least one type of cancer was higher than in the general population, but the magnitude of the risk and the type of condition differed.

Why these increased risks occur is unclear, but may be due to Genetics or shared environmental exposures between relatives. Ramsay says further studies should look into this and hopefully lead to tests that identify families at higher risk.