Testicular cancer risk higher among frequent or long-term users of marijuana

More fuel to add to the "is marijuana safe?" debate: researchers have found that frequent use or long-term use of marijuana by men may significantly increase the risk of developing a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. The study findings were published in a recent online issue of Cancer.

According to a press release issued by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,

The researchers found that being a marijuana smoker at the time of diagnosis was associated with a 70 percent increased risk of testicular cancer. The risk was particularly elevated (about twice that of those who never smoked marijuana) for those who used marijuana at least weekly and/or who had long-term exposure to the substance beginning in adolescence.

The results also suggested that the association with marijuana use might be limited to nonseminoma, a fast-growing testicular malignancy that tends to strike early, between ages 20 and 35, and accounts for about 40 percent of all testicular-cancer cases.

Other studies have found that lifestyle choices can increase the risk of developing testicular cancer, but this one seems to be the first one that connects the use of marijuana.

To read more about the connection between marijuana use and the possible increased risk of testicular cancer, you may go to the press release, Marijuana use linked to increased risk of testicular cancer.

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Image: Morguefile.com

Tags: cancer blog, testicular cancer, marijuana and cancer, marijuana and testicular cancer