A study that made headlines: Cannabis smokers have a higher risk of developing testicular cancer. However, the overall risk of the disease is quite low.
The use of cannabis is not without risk – there is no doubt. Increases common cancer risks, just like inhaling combustion products. Many studies also show that early consumption, in particular, disrupts intellectual development.
But not every study on the consequences of cannabis use has practical importance. This is also the case with the latest study by researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. But first, content: according to the study, frequent use of cannabis significantly increases the risk of a particularly aggressive, but very rare form of testicular cancer. Marijuana smokers are 70 percent more likely to develop a so-called non-seminist than abstinents. For long-term users, the risk has even doubled, Stephen Schwartz’s team reported in the current issue of the magazine Cancer.
Requested connection
Highly aggressive nonseminoma accounts for approximately 40 percent of all testicular tumors and usually occurs quite early, between the ages of 20 and 35. In contrast, the more common seminoma usually affects men between the ages of 30 and 50. The current study is inspired by the observation that testicular cancer incidence in North America and Europe has increased by approximately three to six percent per year since the 1950s.
Since the consumption of cannabis increased during the same period, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle have examined the link between these two phenomena in particular. They compared marijuana use in approximately 370 testicular cancer patients and approximately 980 men of the same age without disease.
Influence on hormone production
The researchers interpreted comparative figures as a clear indication of the connection. Epidemiologist Janet Daling, who participated in the study, suspects that the drug could affect hormone production, which is a possible cause. This could explain why those who smoked marijuana before the age of 18 are particularly at risk. ‘Young men should be aware that we know very little about long-term consequences, especially excessive marijuana use,’ warns study leader Schwartz.
However, if we look at the number of new cases per year – the so-called incidence – the risk of developing testicular cancer is quite low, even for cannabis smokers. Although testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men, it is generally relatively rare. According to the interdisciplinary working group for testicular tumors, approximately seven out of 100,000 men in Germany currently develop it every year.
German blogger Lars Fischer did a calculation on his blog about fish and discovered an increase in individual risk of cannabis consumption of 0.001 percent.
