A recent study has established that men who frequently smoke cannabis have an increased risk of developing testicular cancer.
According to the study, regular cannabis users were 36 per cent more likely to have developed testicular cancer. This is in contrast to men who did not smoke pot at all.
Nearly 2,400 men in the UK (half under the age of 35) get diagnosed with testicular cancer each year.
On the contradictory, people urging the move for legalising the use of cannabis for recreational purposes suggest it has anti-cancer properties.
The study was published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The findings revealed that regular marijuana use was associated with the development of testicular germ cell tumours.
It also added that continued use of marijuana may increase the risk of testicular cancer.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms may differ from painless swelling to formation of a pea-sized lump in either of the testicles.
Other symptoms may involve firmness of a testicle, the difference in size or appearance of the testicles. A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum or sharp pain in the testicles or scrotum.
It is most commonly diagnosed in men between the age of 15 to 49.
Of all cancer that occurs in men, this one affects one per cent of the total. This makes it a relatively rare type of condition.
Notably, it is more likely to occur in white men than those belonging from an ethnic race.
However, scientists are yet to assert the reason as to why this happens.
According to the study, men in England and Wales (99 per cent of them) who are diagnosed with testicular cancer survive for a year or more. Around 98 per cent survive for five years or more after diagnosis.
