MADRID, 17 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The risk of invasive breast cancer in men may be associated with infertility, according to a study published in the scientific journal ‘Breast Cancer Research’.
Breast cancer in men is less common than in women and its relationship to infertility has only been investigated in small studies to date. Only one small study has suggested a possible association between men who have children and breast cancer.
In their work, the authors, belonging to the Institute of Cancer Research in London (United Kingdom) interviewed 1,998 men in England and Wales who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, of whom 112 (5.6%) also declared infertility and 383 (19.2%) had no children.
They looked at the possible relationship between self-reported infertility or childlessness and breast cancer risk in men. They interviewed 1,998 men (under the age of 80) who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2005 and 2017 and who lived in England and Wales. They were compared with 1,597 men as a control group, who were not blood relatives. 80 men reported infertility (5.0%) in the control group.
The risk of invasive breast cancer tumors (cancer cells that spread beyond the place where they first formed) was significantly associated with male infertility from 47 individuals with breast cancer (2.6%) , compared with 22 controls without cancer but with self-reported infertility (1.4%). The authors found no significant association between breast cancer risk and partner infertility or when the source of infertility was unknown.
In other research, the authors found that more men with breast cancer (383 men) reported childlessness compared to controls (174 men). However, the authors caution that childlessness does not fully reflect male infertility, as men may choose not to have children for a variety of cultural and social reasons.
The risk of breast cancer associated with infertility or childlessness was not significant in 160 individuals with breast cancer tumors ‘in situ’ (cancer cells that do not spread beyond the place where they first formed) compared with the 1,597 controls.
The authors conducted additional sensitivity analyzes to control for alcohol use, smoking, family history of breast cancer, and liver disease for potential confounders, but found no strong evidence that these factors affected the results.
“The causes of breast cancer in men are largely unknown, partly because it is rare and partly because previous studies have been small. The evidence presented in our study suggests that the association of infertility and breast cancer breast should be confirmed with more research, and future research is needed on possible underlying factors, such as hormonal imbalances,” says one of the researchers, Michael Jones.
–
