Children of men with low sperm counts have up to a 150% increased risk of cancer, a first-of-its-kind study shows

Research shows that the children of men with fertility problems have an increased risk of developing cancer at a young age.

A first of its kind study found that the families of men who have very little or no sperm in their semen were up to 150 percent more likely to be diagnosed with tumors than families of men with normal sperm counts.

For the study, researchers used Utah databases to collect information on men’s first relatives – parent, sibling or child – second relative – grandparents or nieces and nephews – and third relatives – great-grandparents or great-uncles and aunts.

The risk and type of cancer varied greatly depending on how low the men’s sperm count was.

It is not known how many men in the United States experience low sperm count or no sperm count, but previous data suggests that one in twenty men experience infertility.

The study found that among relatives of men without sperm, results showed a 156 percent increased risk of bone and joint cancer, a 60 percent increased risk of lymphoma, a 56 percent increased risk of soft tissue cancer, a 54 percent increased risk of cancer. of thyroid cancer and a 27 percent increased risk of uterine cancer.

For relatives of men with low sperm count, the results showed a 143 percent increased risk of bone and joint cancer, a 134 percent increased risk of testicular cancer and a 16 percent increased risk of colon cancer.

However, one form of cancer had a lower risk: esophageal cancer with a reduced risk of 61 percent.

Study author Joemy Ramsay of the University of Utah said: ‘If family members share cancer risk patterns, it suggests they have genetic, environmental or health behavior in common.

‘By identifying which groups of families have similar cancer risk patterns, we can improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms of both cancer and infertility.

‘It will help us assess the risk of cancer for families and better advise patients.’

In about 40 percent of cases, the cause of male infertility is unknown

The researchers did not conclude why there was a link between sperm count and cancer, but are now conducting genetic sequencing to look for specific gene mutations that may be driving the associations.

Researchers analyzed data from 1996 to 2017 from 786 men who visited fertility clinics in Utah and compared them to 5,600 men with at least one child in the general population.

Of the men with fertility problems, 426 had no sperm and 360 had seriously low sperm count.

A typical sperm count is more than 15 million sperm per 1 milliliter of semen.

Low sperm count, medically called oligospermia or oligozoospermia, is defined as fewer than 15 million sperm in 1 milliliter of semen.

The absence of sperm in the semen is called azoospermia.

Low sperm count is often accompanied by poor motility (the ability of sperm to move efficiently through a partner’s reproductive tract) and low-quality sperm, which can make it more difficult to conceive.

In about 40 percent of cases, the cause of male infertility is unknown.

Although many infertile men may have few or no sperm counts, some have normal counts and their infertility may be due to genetics, medical conditions, hormonal disorders, environmental factors such as radiation and high temperatures, and lifestyle choices such as illegal drug use and heavy alcohol use. .

Male infertility is the sole or contributing factor in about half of the cases in which couples seek assisted reproductive treatment.

In the studywhich was published in the journal Human Reproduction, Among the families of men without sperm, researchers identified 13 family clusters.

One of the clusters, which included 66 percent of families, had a cancer risk similar to that of the general population.

However, the remaining twelve family clusters all had an increased risk of developing at least one type of cancer.

Several clusters also showed an increased risk of cancer in adolescents and young adults and two clusters showed an increased risk of cancer in children.

Among relatives of men with severely low sperm count, there were 12 clusters and all had an increased risk of one type of cancer.

Five clusters saw an increased risk of cancer diagnoses at a young age; three showed an increased risk of cancer in young adults and adolescents; and two clusters showed an increased risk of childhood cancer.

Researchers believe the wide cancer risks among family members may be due to the widely varying levels of subfertility and infertility – with the men having a wide range of sperm counts that were considered low.