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Feb 9, 2009 01:40 PM | 17
Fellas, you might want to think, well, twice about following Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps' lead. A study published today in the journal Cancer linked frequent marijuana use to the possibility of a slim increased risk of testicular cancer.
Researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that about 72 percent of 369 men, ages 18 to 44, diagnosed with this type of cancer reported having smoked pot; those at greatest risk appeared to have started toking before they were 18 and/or were heavy users. But the scientists acknowledge the study did not prove a connection between pot and a heightened risk of the disease, which strikes about 8,000 men in the U.S. annually and has a high survival rate, according to the American Cancer Society. The percentage of healthy men who reported having smoked pot at least once–68 percent of a 979 randomly sampled group–is not much lower than the group who had already been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The prevailing belief has been that a man's chances of developing testicular cancer is largely determined in the womb, as cells in the fetus are developing and those known as germ cells (which later develop into sperm cells) fail to mature properly. This work shows the possibility that marijuana use–an environmental factor–might also play a role. But researchers acknowledge that it does not prove a definitive link–and that there were weaknesses to the study, including that it was based on a relatively small group of men and relied on self-reported drug use, which can be iffy.
Still, lead study author Janet Daling, an epidemiology professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, says that she got the idea of a possible association between pot and testicular cancer about a decade ago at a lecture that noted the presence of receptors sensitive to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis) in the testes in addition to the known cannabinoid receptors in the brain. (Since then, there have also been cannabinoid receptors found in the heart, uterus, spleen and other locations in the body.) The researchers propose that consuming a lot of THC that activates these sensitive receptors might cause them to forgo some of their normal communication of the body's own similar system, (called the endocannabinoid system) which has been associated with the suppression of tumor growth.
"We're not exactly sure what role the marijuana is playing," Daling says, but it has come out as a possible factor that warrants further investigation.
Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, says that the study is a potentially promising clue, but that is by no means a firm conclusion. He notes that other lifestyle choices, such as diet, tobacco smoking and exercise, have already been shown to have an effect on the risk of other cancers, so this is another potential risk factor that men can consider. And to this point, better-accepted risk factors for testicular cancer in particular include family history, undescended or abnormal testes.
Other studies have shown possible links between pot smoking and impotence and infertility. Oh, and the possibility of a three-month suspension from the men's swimming team.
Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/graphixel
Tags:
testicular cancer,
cancer,
marijuana
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17 Comments
Add CommentThis is total garbage. The powers that be have tried so hard to link pot with cancer, it's pathetic. Meanwhile a known addictive, killer, tobacco remains legal.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe need for further research definitely is the only valid result of this study. The fact that the motivation for the study is "backward" in nature is also troubling, that is, that the subjects in the main group, were simply asked if they were one-time or more often, marijuana users after being diagnosed with testicular cancer leaves this reader with more than 95% doubt of the reliability of the self-reports. A way to help the study is ask also of these subjects what % of their consumPtion habits included tobacco AS WELL AS MARIJUANA. The design of the research must be more rigid if you want me to study the Seattle study any further.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo keep this in perspective we need to remember this was a survey with no biological research conducted with funding from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Link w/funding info: https://www.fhcrc.org/about/ne/news/2009/02/09/marijuana.html
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNIDA is federal so they are highly biased on this one. Link on NIDA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_on_Drug_Abuse
Basically this is crap that's not really newsworthy. It's propaganda pure and simple.
Yeah, and at one point in Amerika, pot was said to cause "Mexicans" to be crazy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is propaganda. It all about a weed that big Pharma, and big Biotech cannot patent, and cuts into their sales of manufactured opiates
This is backward logic. 100 % of these men drank milk as a child. 95 % ate beef !
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhile I gave up marijuana ages ago, I am amazed that it is still illegal. Tobacco and alcohol -- not to mention prescription medications -- are the source of uncounted deaths across the planet, but yield up plenty of tax revenues and corporate profits, so they continue to be widely available. Marijuana, on the other hand, is under the control of those who grow it, and that takes it out of the capitalist and governmental profit loop. It is sheer nonsense to suggest that boo is potentially more harmful than than dreck that can be purchased on the local store.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBy the by, I think my testicles are still fine.
If one of my students had written this I would have flunked them. A competent researcher knows that correlation does not imply causation. Only the ignorant, or those with a political motivation, will try to infer such a relationship. I would guess that the increased marijuana usage also correlated with significantly increased sexual activity, musical appreciation, and the munchies.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat I don't understand is why Scientific American would host an article with "might" in the title in the first place ... I mean, that's not very scientific. :P Also, it seems ironic to me that virtually any time an article can be generated that has potential to demonize cannabis sativa it does. I love Scientific American but in my opinion, concerning the subject in question, they should ignore any negative articles whatsoever. Cannabis is a gift with literally a hundred potential GREAT usages, all of which could benefit mankind. Yet we waste billions (with a "B") every year maintaining its illegality ... crap, don't get me started!!! :(
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"The need for further research definitely is the only valid result of this study." I quite disagree. This article leads me to believe that bad scientific interpretations have been presented by people who should know better. No, I would definitely NOT fund people who present their conclusions in this manner. Not good science. Lets give our dollars to those that understand the implications of this type of "correlation" and who do not put up with this kind of media nonsense.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe headline is a lie. The totally flawed study does'nt say that. It says "possible link".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is not even elementary research.
The cancer indicated is the extremely rare type, not the common testicular type, occuring 1/100000.
It leaps to conclusions, ignoring variables such as increased arrousal leading to increased sexual activity and increased exposure to cancer causing disease. "Accounting for lifestyle" does not tell us which group was adjusted. What thousands of other common denominators were not included such as family, genetics, hygene,income? Subjects were called who already had cancer, how many were using grass to medicate symptoms? Where were the lists pulled from?
The smoking gun, what vested interests paid for the study? 2of3 were NIDA and NIH. Hutchinson is funded in part by Wall St, Merck, BOA, Carlyle and Randolph Hearst Foundation who owned timber and launched "Reefer Madness".
No link no funding.
With a slim possible maybe, these 'scientists' then promote abstaining, ignoring the huge UC study showing a DROP in lung cancer over non-smokers. Sounds a lot like the flawed Aussie 'study' on gum disease/pot.
Psuedo science not research. Peace.
Even Scientific American lies. But change is in the air, and the editors of this formally prestigious publication better snap to reality. Enough of the opinion articles and outright ridiculous propaganda, go back to your original roots and publish real science, or perish!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was going to post something about correlation not being causation, but there are already plenty of people who have deconstructed this article down to nothing. Well done.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisway to call out NIDA on their crap Skullphace216 and greenispeace. i wonder if ya'll heard about that new study that says 90% of researchers doing studies for the National Institute of Drug Abuse involving pot smoked all their non-placebo control variables. yea i just made that up, but its 75% more scientific than this article's headline. i'm not sure where Harmon is going with this article, but i smell taint, and it's skunky.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishow many smoked tobacco, used alcohol, or were abused as a child....there is a whole lot left out of this article....how many swam naked in the Hudson river? And so what if it increases your chances of testicular cancer......Im sure they have drugs to help out with that......but you better watch out....they may cause severe obesity, high blood pressure, seizures, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stroke, heart attack or even death.....yet marijuana is actually supposed to help with those effects, right? (okay, maybe not the death part, but if you would have just smoked the joint in the first place, you wouldnt have to worry about that) But alcohol is legal....how many deaths does that cause each year....drunk drivers, domestic violence, child abuse, can all be caused by alcohol abuse. Sorry, I dont think Ive ever heard of anyone smoking a joint and then beating their wives.......though I know lots of people who smoke and create beautiful works of art and music as they open their minds.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBIG difference between causation and correlation, sillies. Why is SC AM trying to conflate the two? Gosh Darn, that infuriates me!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is a load of slop and the real results of this backwards study wouldn't have reached the 24-hour news cycle, without scary headlines:
"Marijuana MIGHT lead to increased risk of testicular cancer." Gotta love that "might." You might start liking Jazz music, too. You might just kill your brother, if you smoke Cannabis; you never really know...
The real headline is the fact that once-credible media for science issues, like SC AM, are peddling the ONDCP & DEA's talking points and glossing right over the truth regarding medical Cannabis and the truth about this study.
I expect this wild bias toward Medical Cannabis from the ONDCP, from the DEA, from Rupert's Wall St Journal, from media owned by the McClatchys, or from fake "floated" reports from CASA; but I am infuriated that SC AM is resorting to unforgivable fear mongering, instead of presenting real science.
Please help end the "Reefer Madness", SC AM. You should be ashamed of yourselves for peddling fear, instead of presenting the science
Get back to your desks, stop printing lies, FOCUS, and CATCH UP!!
The single leading cause of cancer is age. 70% of cancer occurs in people over the age of 55. The single greatest decrease in cancer would be to limit the human lifespan below 55.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis study was a waste of time and money.
This is a total load of crap!! More propaganda from the MACHINE. The powers that be really do not want people to see REALITY. I know thousands of men who had children while using marijuana as adults. Not one of them has testicular cancer. I know hundreds of men who have smoked pot their whole lives from 20's on and NOT ONE case of testicular cancer!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLet's talk about ALCOHOL and TOBACCO FIRST!!!! These two KILLERS are worse than any other substances on Earth bar a few like heroine, meth, cocaine, etc. Alcohol and tobacco lobbies are the reason marijuana is descredited and illegal, and NO other reason. Welcome my son, welcome to the machine. The machine is nothing but subterfuge and LIES.
These people who report on this and bring it to the news when there is such a MINUTE chance of there being a link between marijuana and cancer is what is irresponsible!!