Circumcision Linked to Reduced Risk of Prostate Cancer in Certain Men

There may be some medical advantages to circumcision. Scientists have actually linked the procedure to a reduced risk of prostate cancer in some men. The findings reveal that the procedure could have benefits beyond the religious or the aesthetic.

In the past, scientists have found that risk factors for prostate cancer have included advanced age, African ancestry and a family history of prostate cancer. Yet researchers have long wondered whether or not there were modifiable risk factors. That's why researchers decided to conduct an observational study in order to find out the possible association between circumcision and prostate cancer risk.

In this case, the scientists examined 1,590 prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2009, as well as 1,618 healthy control individuals. The researchers conducted in-person interviews to gather information on sociodemographic, lifestyle and environmental factors.

So what did they find? It turns out that circumcised men had a slightly lower risk, albeit not statistically significantly, of developing prostate cancer. What was more interesting was that circumcision was protective in men who were circumcised when they were older than 35 years. In fact, the procedure decreased their risk by 45 percent. A weaker protective effect was seen among men who were circumcised within one year of birth, and the strongest effect was recorded in black men, who had a 60 percent reduced risk if they were circumcised.

"This is a particularly interesting finding, as black men have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world and this has never been explained," said Marie-Elise Parent, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This novel finding warrants further examination in future studies that have a larger number of black participants."

It's possible that circumcision may reduce the risk of contracting and maintain a sexually transmitted infection, which is thought to be a possible risk factor for prostate cancer. That said, scientists need to conduct further research before any conclusions are drawn. Yet this latest study shows an avenue of research that could be extremely useful when investigating what steps can be taken in order to reduce a person's risk for this type of cancer.

The findings are published in the journal BJU International.