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A change in practice: current urologic practice in response to reports concerning vasectomy and prostate cancer
1Department of Urology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
Objective:
To examine the practice patterns of urologists performing vasectomy in response to studies reporting an increased risk of prostate cancer in vasectomized men.
Design:
A mailed survey.
Setting:
A university medical institution.
Participants:
One thousand five hundred randomly selected United States urologists under the age of 65 years.
Main Outcome Measure:
Urologists reported practice patterns of vasectomy in response to studies showing possible link between vasectomy and prostate cancer.
Results:
A response rate of 51% (759/1,500) was obtained. Although > 90% state that these studies have had little or no effect upon their practice of vasectomy, 27% screen vasectomized men earlier for prostate cancer, and 20% would be reluctant to recommend a vasectomy to a man with a strong family history of prostate cancer.
Conclusions:
Over one fourth of urologists who screen for prostate cancer have altered their screening patterns even though they responded that the studies have not affected their practice patterns.