Male infertility linked to risk of prostate cancer

Menée en Suède auprès de 1 181 490 patients atteints d'un cancer de la prostate et pères d'enfants nés entre 1994 et 2014, cette étude analyse l'association entre le mode de conception de leur enfant (fécondation in vitro, FIV avec micro-injection intracytoplasmique ou conception naturelle) et le risque de développer la maladie ou son agressivité

Résumé en anglais

The mechanism isn’t clear but abnormalities on the Y chromosome are in the frame
Poor sperm function (male infertility) causes nearly half of all infertility. The observation that poor sperm function is commonly associated with developmental genitourinary defects such as cryptorchidism suggests that male infertility could be a risk marker for later disease. Unfortunately, we know little about the natural history of male infertility beyond reproductive life, owing to historical social stigma experienced by affected men. Studies shedding light on the future health of infertile men should be welcomed, and in the linked paper (doi:10.1136/bmj.l5214) Al-Jebari and colleagues report analyses of registry data from the whole population of Sweden over 20 years. Their results provide the strongest evidence to date that risk of prostate cancer may be increased in infertile men. Importantly though, a causal relation cannot be assumed.