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Sexual activity and prostate cancer risk in men diagnosed at a younger age

  1. Polyxeni Dimitropoulou1,
  2. Artitaya Lophatananon1,2,
  3. Douglas Easton3,
  4. Richard Pocock4,
  5. David P. Dearnaley5,
  6. Michelle Guy5,
  7. Steven Edwards5,
  8. Lynne O’Brien5,
  9. Amanda Hall5,
  10. Rosemary Wilkinson5,
  11. The UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study Collaborators, British Association of Urological Surgeons Section of Oncology1,
  12. Rosalind Eeles5,
  13. Kenneth R. Muir1

Article first published online: 11 NOV 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x

Issue

BJU International

BJU International

Volume 103, Issue 2, pages 178–185, January 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Dimitropoulou, P., Lophatananon, A., Easton, D., Pocock, R., Dearnaley, D. P., Guy, M., Edwards, S., O’Brien, L., Hall, A., Wilkinson, R., The UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study Collaborators, British Association of Urological Surgeons Section of Oncology, Eeles, R. and Muir, K. R. (2009), Sexual activity and prostate cancer risk in men diagnosed at a younger age. BJU International, 103: 178–185. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    ♯University of Nottingham Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK,

  2. 2

    The Chulabhorn Cancer Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand,

  3. 3

    Department of Public Health and Primary Care, CR-UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge,

  4. 4

    Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust, Exeter, and

  5. 5

    Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey UK

*Polyxeni Dimitropoulou, University Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Box 279 (S4), Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 0QQ, UK. e-mail: pd317@medschl.cam.ac.uk or
Kenneth Muir, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK. email: kenneth.muir@nottingham.ac.uk

  1. R.P. is the BAUS Section of Oncology Representative. R.E and K.R.M are joint senior authors. Lists available on request for The UK Genetic Prostate Cancer Study Collaborators, Surrey, and British Association of Urological Surgeons Section of Oncology, London, UK.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 DEC 2008
  2. Article first published online: 11 NOV 2008
  3. Accepted for publication 30 May 2008

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Keywords:

  • sexual activity;
  • prostate;
  • cancer risk;
  • intercourse;
  • masturbation

OBJECTIVE

To examine, in a case-control study, the association between the frequency of sexual activity (intercourse, masturbation, overall) and prostate cancer risk in younger men diagnosed at ≤60 years old.

PATIENTS, SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In all, 431 prostate cancer cases and 409 controls participated and provided information on their sexual activity. In particular, the frequencies of intercourse and masturbation during the participants’ different age decades (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s) were collected.

RESULTS

Whereas frequent overall sexual activity in younger life (20s) increased the disease risk, it appeared to be protective against the disease when older (50s). Alone, frequent masturbation activity was a marker for increased risk in the 20s and 30s but appeared to be associated with a decreased risk in the 50s, while intercourse activity alone was not associated with the disease.

CONCLUSION

These findings could imply different mechanisms by which sexual activity is involved in the aetiology of prostate cancer at different ages. Alternatively, there is a possibility of reverse causation in explaining part of the protective effect seen for men in their 50s.

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