title: Cancer and cardiovascular disease after vasectomy: an epidemiological database study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether vasectomy is associated with an increased long-term risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of database of linked statistical records of hospital admissions and deaths.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health region in southern England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Men aged 20-59 years who were admitted to a hospital for vasectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease compared with the corresponding rates in a reference cohort, expressed as a rate ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found no elevation of risk, after vasectomy, of prostate cancer (rate ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45-1.14) or other cancers. The rate ratio for coronary heart disease overall after vasectomy was 0.95 (95% CI 0.88-1.02); and the rate ratio > or =20 years after vasectomy was 0.98 (95% CI 0.80-1.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings add to the evidence that vasectomy is not associated with an increase in the long-term risk of these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. michael.goldacre@dphpc.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goldacre
authors.forename: Clare J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wotton
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Seagroatt
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yeates
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014659:Vasectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*