FRIDAY, July 13, 2001 (HealthDayNews) -- Men who have sex with dozens of women are more likely to develop prostate cancer than those who stick with one lady for life, new research suggests.
But the connection between sex and cancer isn't clear, and medical experts aren't ready to recommend universal monogamy.
"The numbers are certainly valid, but we don't have a clear cause and effect," says Dr. Hugh Stallworth, national vice president of cancer control for the American Cancer Society.
Researchers compared 753 Seattle-area men, aged 40 to 64, who suffer from prostate cancer, with 703 healthy men chosen at random.
The American Cancer Society says nearly 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, making it the second most common cancer in males after lung cancer. One of every six men will be diagnosed with the disease, and one in 30 will die of it.
The men in the study were asked how many female sexual partners they had in their lives. The findings were published in the June 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Men with 30 or more partners were 2.7 times more likely to have prostate cancer than men with just one lifetime partner, says study co-author Karin Rosenblatt, professor of community health at the University of Illinois at Champaign.
Just 16 percent of the prostate cancer sufferers had one lifetime sex partner, compared with 22 percent of the healthy men. Seventeen percent of the ill men had more than 30 sex partners, compared with 13 percent of the healthy men.
Monogamy appeared to be a much healthier option, even if men have sex frequently with their sole lover. The researchers found no connection between frequency of sex and prostate cancer, though experts have speculated about such a link, Rosenblatt says.
The reserchers says sexually transmitted diseases possibly could increase the risk of prostate cancer.
Although no studies so far have linked gonorrhea or syphilis to cancer, Rosenblatt says one sexually transmitted disease, human papilloma virus (HPV), has been directly implicated in cervical cancer, anal cancer and penile cancer. However, Rosenblatt says his study didn't look for an HPV connection.
While the prostate study may not be definitive, Rosenblatt says men can take steps to protect themselves. "There are always good reasons for practicing safe sex, like preventing HIV or other types of sexually transmitted diseases," she says.
Stallworth says the possible link between sexual activity and prostate cancer is not nearly as clear as the connections between smoking and lung cancer or a high-fat diet and colorectal cancer. "We certainly don't know enough to make sweeping recommendations on prostate cancer and sexual behavior," he says.
"What we have tried to emphasize is that if we can detect prostate cancer early, we can successfully treat men," Stallworth says. "We don't like to talk in terms of a cure, but we have men (with the disease) living as long as men who have never had prostate cancer."
What To Do
The possible connection between sexually transmitted disease and prostate cancer is yet another reason for men to wear a condom during sex or to be faithful to one partner.
Learn more about prostate cancer from the American Cancer Society.
Learn about sexually transmitted diseases at the Web site of the American Social Health Association.
