Marijuana use and testicular germ cell tumors

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Since the early 1970s, the incidence of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) in the United States has been increasing; however, potential environmental exposures accounting for this increase have not been identified. A previous study reported a significant association between frequent and long-term current marijuana users and TGCT risk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between marijuana use and TGCTs in a hospital-based case-control study. METHODS: TGCT patients diagnosed between January 1990 and October 1996 (n ¼ 187) and male friend controls (n ¼ 148) were enrolled in the study. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 50 at the time of diagnosis and resided in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, or Oklahoma. Associations of marijuana use and TGCTs were estimated using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, race, prior cryptorchidism, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake. RESULTS: Overall, patients with TGCTs were more likely to be frequent marijuana users (daily or greater) compared with controls (odds ratio [OR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-5.1). Histological-specific analyses revealed that patients with nonseminoma were significantly more likely than controls to be frequent users (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2-8.2) and long-term (10 years) users (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.0-6.1). CONCLUSIONS: The finding of an association between frequent marijuana use and TGCTs, particularly among men with nonseminoma, was consistent with the findings of a previous report. Additional studies of marijuana use and TGCTs are warranted, especially studies evaluating the role of endocannabinoid signaling and cannabinoid receptors in TGCTs. Cancer 2011;117:848-53.

Systematic review of the potential role of cannabinoids as antiproliferative agents for urological cancers

“…4 This initial data was further supported by a recent systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Gurney et al, which included three case-control studies between 198 and 2015, including a total of 719 cases of testicular germ cell tumours along with 1419 controls. 2,21,22 This study further reinforced the findings of the 2009 case-control study suggesting that current cannabis use at least once weekly or for a long duration (>10 weeks) is associated with the development of testicular germ cell tumour (OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.13-2.31), with the strongest association for non-seminoma tumours.…”

An oncofetal and developmental perspective on testicular germ cell cancer

“…Examples include but are not limited to: birth weight, decreased gestational age, maternal smoking and parity and life style factors like dietary intake and physical exercise. In general, these associations with TGCC incidence are weak or inconsistent between studies, except for frequent marijuana use and NS [164][165][166]. The proposed common denominator in many risk factors is increased (fetal) exposure to estrogens and anti-androgens, supported by disorders observed in sons of women exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) during pregnancy [167,168].…”

Testicular Germ Cell Tumors

“…These include higher economic status, professional workers, technicians, and other occupational categories [6][7][8][9], immunodeficiency [10], history of sexually transmitted disease [11], past mumps orchitis [12], in utero exposure to estrogen [13], cannabis use [14,15], testicular trauma [11], Down syndrome [16], Marfan syndrome [17], and Klinefelter syndrome [18]. Early male patterned baldness and severe acne have a negative association [19].…”