Gender Of Children May Be Linked To Risk Of Prostate Cancer

A sperm has only one sex chromosome, either a Y, which produces a male embryo, or an X, producing a female embryo.

A study conducted on whether girls increased the risk to prostate cancer concluded that certain factors on a man's Y chromosome might not only affect the likelihood of conception of male offspring but also lead to cancer development.

Chris Hiley, head of policy and research of the Prostate Cancer Charity said: 'This is an interesting study - it certainly attracts the attention, but it doesn't yet translate into useful advice for men until other complex genetic studies are done.

'Further research to confirm these findings in men from other parts of the world is needed

'We also need to uncover exactly what it is about the Y chromosome, which only men have, that might make men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer also more likely to have fathered girls rather than boys.

He, however, cautions, 'In the meantime no-one should rush off with the idea that girls give their fathers prostate cancer.'

An interesting finding of the study is that having more number of daughters or the desire to father a son might encourage a man to be more health-conscious and attend routine health check ups, which leads to detection of prostate problems.

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However, these explanations have no evidence to support, and the researchers concluded that a common genetic condition could be causative of the birth of daughters and the risk of cancer.

Source-Medindia
PRI