Just Say No...or Else You Get Cancer?

Just Say No...or Else You Get Cancer?

February 9th, 2009 by Valerie Chavez
By RADHA CHITALE
ABC News Medical Unit
Feb. 9, 2009

Internet photos of swimming phenomenon Michael Phelps, 23, possibly indulging in an Olympian lungful of marijuana smoke scandalized many and may have caused him to lose face and the faith of some of his fans -- not to mention a lucrative sponsorship from Kellogg.

Male marijuana users may be at increased risk of developing testicular cancer, researchers say.
(AP/Getty/ABC News)

But according to new research, if Phelps makes a habit of smoking up, he could stand to loose more than a fan base.

For the first time, researchers have linked frequent marijuana use to an increased risk of testicular cancer, according to an article published today in the journal Cancer.

"There's been very little research done on marijuana use and its association with cancer risk," said Janet Daling, the senior author of the article and an epidemiologist and member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in Seattle. "This is the first time this association has been shown."

Using a population-based, case-control study, Daling surveyed 369 men diagnosed with testicular cancer and 979 healthy men between ages 18-44 about their history with marijuana use.

After controlling for family history and lifestyle factors, including alcohol and tobacco use, which could also be associated with testicular cancer, the researchers found that being a marijuana smoker was associated with a 70 percent increased risk of testicular cancer.

Heavy Users at Risk

Participants who used marijuana once a week or more or who had long-term exposure to marijuana since adolescence were at twice the risk for testicular cancer than those who never used marijuana.

In addition, the association between frequent marijuana use and testicular cancer was more pronounced among men who had nonseminomas, a more aggressive form of testicular cancer, than those who had seminomas. Nonseminomas also tend to strike in younger men.

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Although this research has the most implications for habitual users, it goes against commonly held beliefs that marijuana is one of the more benign recreational drugs, a potential concern given the number of people who have tried marijuana in their lives.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/story?id=6823396&page=1

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  • Sue

    Oh yeah, I saw this article.  Interesting :)

    19 months ago

  • Carri

    I think it is another way pharmacuitical companies are trying fear tactics to make us believe that something natural can actually be a good thing.  The medical advantages to marijuana are so researched and the side effects are much less than all the crap that every drug I was on during the worst drug/chemo, to try to make it so the cancer didn't spread, BUT alas, it still did, to my ovaries that were removed to get the estrogen producers out of my body.  Had I opted not to have that surgery I still would have that silent killer inside. 

    The good news is that stem cell research is being funded again.  Science is back in business!

    18 months ago

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