Authors: Dimitropoulou, Polyxeni¹; Lophatananon, Artitaya; Easton, Douglas²; Pocock, Richard³; Dearnaley, David P.⁴; Guy, Michelle⁴; Edwards, Steven⁴; O'Brien, Lynne⁴; Hall, Amanda⁴; Wilkinson, Rosemary⁴; Eeles, Rosalind⁴; Muir, Kenneth R.

Source: BJU International, Volume 103, Number 2, January 2009 , pp. 178-185(8)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

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.

Keywords: sexual activity; prostate; cancer risk; intercourse; masturbation

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2008.08030.x

Affiliations: 1: ♯University of Nottingham Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK, 2: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, CR-UK Genetic Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge, 3: Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust, Exeter, and 4: Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, Surrey UK

Publication date: 2009-01-01

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• By this author: Dimitropoulou, Polyxeni ;  Lophatananon, Artitaya ;  Easton, Douglas ;  Pocock, Richard ;  Dearnaley, David P. ;  Guy, Michelle ;  Edwards, Steven ;  O'Brien, Lynne ;  Hall, Amanda ;  Wilkinson, Rosemary ;  Eeles, Rosalind ;  Muir, Kenneth R.

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