Male infertility (MI) has been widely associated with different comorbid conditions. The aim of this review is to summarize the available evidences investigating the link between MI cancer, chronic non-malignant conditions and overall health.
A literature search has been conducted using the MEDLINE/PubMed and Scopus databases for English-language original and review articles and selecting publications from January 2007 to June 2017, although highly regarded older publications were also considered. The following keywords and MESH terms were combined: male infertility, semen analysis, health, comorbidities, cancer, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality.
Several studies supported a higher risk of testis cancer for patients with MI; conversely, controversial findings have been reported on the association between prostate cancer and MI. Beside uro-genital malignancies, melanoma, bladder, thyroid and haematological malignancies have been also more frequently reported among infertile men. Large cohort studies supported a significant association between diabetes mellitus, metabolic disorders and MI. Similarly, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases appears to be higher among infertile men. Of note, a significant association between semen alterations and the overall burden of comorbidities, as well as the overall mortality, has been reported. A common genetic background appears as the main pathophysiological link between infertility and other comorbidities.
Male infertility is a proxy of the overall male health status. Physicians should comprehensively assessed men presenting for couple infertility and properly followed-up these patients given their higher risk of developing cancer.
Minerva urologica e nefrologica = The Italian journal of urology and nephrology. 2018 Mar 28 [Epub ahead of print]
Paolo Capogrosso, Eugenio Ventimiglia, Luca Boeri, Walter Cazzaniga, Francesco Chierigo, Francesco Montorsi, Andrea Salonia
Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy - ., Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.