Avoid Testicular Cancer By Avoiding Marijuana

Testicular cancer is on the rise, and a behavior that seems somewhat innocuous may be making worse.

There are basically two types of testicular cancer: seminoma, which accounts for about 60% of the cases, is a slower growing cancer that occurs in men aged 30 to 40.

Nonseminoma, which accounts for the remaining 40% of the cases, is an aggressive cancer that usually strikes younger men between the ages of 20 to 35. These younger men are thought to be more susceptible to the worse form of testicular cancer because of their many hormonal changes.

It turns out that if these young men smoke marijuana about once a week, or began smoking marijuana it in adolescence, not only are they twice as likely to develop testicular cancer, but they develop the worse form of testicular cancer, nonseminoma, more frequently as well.

The impact of marijuana smoking on testicular cancer appears to be related to the fact that like the brain, the testes have THC receptors.

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical that creates the high that marijuana smokers experience. Other risk factors for testicular cancer, such as a family history of the disease or having undescended testes, did not seem to make a difference among marijuana smokers.

Protecting yourself from testicular cancer symptoms is another good reason to say no to smoking pot.