Erectile dysfunction and the risk of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer death among men in developed countries. Because some risk factors are common between erectile dysfunction (ED) and PCa, we investigated the association between ED and subsequent PCa.

This nationwide population-based cohort study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for the period 2000-2010. We identified patients newly diagnosed with ED by using codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification.

In total, 5858 and 23432 patients were enrolled in the ED and non-ED cohorts, respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities, the overall incidence densities of PCa were significantly higher in the ED cohort than in the non-ED cohort, with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.19. The age-specific relative risk of PCa was significantly higher for all age groups in the ED cohort than in the non-ED cohort. Compared with patients without ED, those with organic ED had a 1.27-fold higher risk of PCa.

ED is a harbinger of PCa in some men. Physicians should consider the possibility of occult PCa in patients with ED regardless of age and comorbidities.