Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27486569›Full record

ReviewResearch and reports in urology2016

Vasectomy and prostate cancer risk: a historical synopsis of undulating false causality.

Max Nutt, Zachary Reed, Tobias S Köhler

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Research and reports in urology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Max NuttDivision of Urology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Urology, Springfield, IL, USA.
Zachary ReedDivision of Urology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Urology, Springfield, IL, USA.
Tobias S KöhlerDivision of Urology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Urology, Springfield, IL, USA.
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The potential influence of vasectomy being a risk factor for the development of prostate cancer is not a new concept, with more than 30 publications addressing the topic. Given the global frequency of vasectomy and the prevalence of prostate cancer, this subject justifiably deserves scrutiny. Several articles have claimed that vasectomy puts men at risk for future development of prostate cancer. We explore articles that have shown the contrary (no link), explore the studies' strengths and weaknesses, describe possible prostate cancer pathophysiologic mechanisms, and apply Bradford Hill criteria to help discern correlation with causation. The risk and interest of association of prostate cancer with vasectomy has waxed and waned over the last three decades. Based on our review, vasectomy remains a safe form of sterilization and does not increase prostate cancer risk.

Indexed as

pathophysiologyprostate cancervasectomy

Identifiers

PMID27486569
PMCPMC4958361
OpenAlexW2500717104

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.