Men who have undergone circumcision before their first sexual intercourse reduce their risk of prostate cancer by 15 percent, according to a study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (USA).
The researchers, who publish their results in the journal Cancer , reached these conclusions after analyzing the histories of more than 3,000 men. In addition, they observed that the risk was reduced for both less dangerous and more aggressive tumors. "There must be an infectious-inflammatory process that influences the risk of developing prostate cancer," said Jonathan Wright, author of the work.
The World Health Organization (WHO) already recommends circumcision as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of HIV infection, and other studies have observed that the chances of transmitting other diseases such as the human papillomavirus and some types of HIV are also minimized. herpes. This is because, when exposed, the skin of the glans is strengthened and is less sensitive to the small lesions that can occur during sexual intercourse and are a gateway to infections. In the case of prostate cancer, the basis of the process could be the same. "The data suggest a biologically possible mechanism by which circumcision reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer. Still, more research is needed," Wright explained.
