The DOI matches its Crossref record; 29 of the 35 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Cannabis exposure and risk of testicular cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: The aetiology of testicular cancer remains elusive. In this manuscript, we review the evidence regarding the association between cannabis use and testicular cancer development. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we reviewed literature published between 1(st) January 1980 and 13(th) May 2015 and found three case-control studies that investigated the association between cannabis use and development of testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs). RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Using meta-analysis techniques, we observed that a) current, b) chronic, and c) frequent cannabis use is associated with the development of TGCT, when compared to never-use of the drug. The strongest association was found for non-seminoma development--for example, those using cannabis on at least a weekly basis had two and a half times greater odds of developing a non-seminoma TGCT compared those who never used cannabis (OR: 2.59, 95% CI 1.60-4.19). We found inconclusive evidence regarding the relationship between cannabis use and the development of seminoma tumours. It must be noted that these observations were derived from three studies all conducted in the United States; and the majority of data collection occurred during the 1990's.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Figures


Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The evidence is inconclusive for testicular seminomas, and lung cancer, neck and head cancers because of the possible roles of tobacco use, and other confounders.”
From Cannabis, cannabinoids and health: a review of evidence on risks and medical benefits (2025) · cites this paper as [67]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“The strongest association was found for non-seminoma development and weekly cannabis use.”
From Cannabis, cannabinoids and health: a review of evidence on risks and medical benefits (2025) · cites this paper as [67]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Sanderson, S., Tatt, I. D., & Higgins, J. P. (2007) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dym018 · Cited by 1,531 · cited 1×
“In the absence of such a gold standard, it has been recommended that any tools used to measure study quality should be as specific as possible to the given topic, and involve a simple checklist as opposed to a scale or score [14].”
MethodSchulenberg, J., Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P., Bachman, J., Miech, R., & Patrick, M. (2008) · doi:10.3998/2027.42/146531 · Cited by 1,143
Katzman, M. A., Bleau, P., Blier, P., Chokka, P., Kjernisted, K., Van Ameringen, M., & the Canadian Anxiety Guidelines Initiative Group on behalf of the Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada/Association Canadienne des troubles anxieux and McGill University (2014) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-14-s1-s1 · Cited by 1,090
Cannabinoids: potential anticancer agents
Guzmán, M. (2003) · Nature reviews. Cancer · doi:10.1038/nrc1188 · Cited by 721 · cited 1×
“tion; however, these receptors are also expressed in peripheral locations, including the testis [22].”
BackgroundIncreasing incidence of testicular cancer worldwide: a review.
Huyghe, É., Matsuda, T., & Thonneau, P. (2003) · Journal of Urology · doi:10.1097/01.ju.0000053866.68623.da · Cited by 624 · cited 2×
“Non-seminoma tumours are typically diagnosed seven [11] to ten [12] years earlier than seminoma tumours.”
BackgroundResultLev-Ran, S., Roerecke, M., Le Foll, B., George, T. P., McKenzie, K., & Rehm, J. (2014) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291713001438 · Cited by 589 · cited 1×
“Marihuana [29, 30] Testi cancer”
Cannabis, the mind and society: the hash realities
Murray, R. M., Morrison, P. D., Henquet, C., & Forti, M. D. (2007) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2253 · Cited by 329 · cited 1×
“The cannabis plant has been ingested or inhaled by humans for more than 4000 years [1].”
BackgroundSterne, J., Bradburn, M., & Egger, M. (2008) · doi:10.1002/9780470693926.ch18 · Cited by 319
Kedzior, K. K., & Laeber, L. T. (2014) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/1471-244x-14-136 · Cited by 309
The effects of state and local antidiscrimination policies on earnings for gays and lesbians
Klawitter, M., & Flatt, V. (1998) · Journal of Policy Analysis and Management · doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6688(199823)17:4 · Cited by 245
Cannabis use: consistency and validity of self-report, on-site urine testing and laboratory testing.
Buchan, B. J., Dennis, M. L., Tims, F., & Diamond, G. (2002) · Addiction · doi:10.1046/j.1360-0443.97.s01.1.x · Cited by 220 · cited 1×
“[24] However the absence of a valid and easily-obtainable biomarker that does not involve the participant providing Gurney et al.”
BackgroundLip, S., Murchison, L., Cullis, P., Govan, L., & Carachi, R. (2012) · Archives of Disease in Childhood · doi:10.1136/archdischild-2012-302051 · Cited by 180 · cited 1×
“Using a random-effects model, we applied inverse-variance weighted methods for combining results across included studies to arrive at a final summary odds ratio (and associated 95 % confidence intervals) for the association between various levels of cannabis exposure and testicular cancer outcome (total and stratified…”
MethodIncreasing incidence of testicular cancer in the United States and Europe between 1992 and 2009
Nigam, M., Aschebrook-Kilfoy, B., Shikanov, S., & Eggener, S. (2015) · World journal of urology · doi:10.1007/s00345-014-1361-y · Cited by 177
Adolescent and adult risk factors for testicular cancer
McGlynn, K., & Trabert, B. (2012) · Nature reviews. Urology · doi:10.1038/nrurol.2012.61 · Cited by 167 · cited 1×
“Rates of testicular cancer appear to be increasing rapidly over time [5] – and yet the primary exposures involved in its aetiology remain poorly understood [6].”
BackgroundAssociation of marijuana use and the incidence of testicular germ cell tumors
Daling, J. R., Doody, D. R., Sun, X., Trabert, B. L., Weiss, N. S., Chen, C., Biggs, M. L., Starr, J. R., Dey, S. K., & Schwartz, S. M. (2009) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.24159 · Cited by 147 · cited 10×
“ring in 1986 [8] and the most recent occurring in 2006 [9].”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialTesticular germ cell tumors: pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment
Winter, C., & Albers, P. (2011) · Nature Reviews Endocrinology · doi:10.1038/nrendo.2010.196 · Cited by 125 · cited 1×
“Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men, with peak incidence occurring between 15 and 40 years of age [3] and the highest rates of disease found among men who can trace their ancestry to Northern Europe [4].”
BackgroundSmolen, J. S., Schoels, M., Nishimoto, N., Breedveld, F. C., Burmester, G. R., Dougados, M., Emery, P., Ferraccioli, G., Gabay, C., Gibofsky, A., et al. (2012) · Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases · doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202469 · Cited by 122
Marijuana use and testicular germ cell tumors
Trabert, B. L., Sigurdson, A. J., Sweeney, A., Strom, S. S., & McGlynn, K. A. (2010) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.25499 · Cited by 99 · cited 10×
“from the community, although one study used the friend of cases as controls [7], which may have reduced the”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialAn epidemiologic review of marijuana and cancer: an update
Huang, Y.-H. J., Zhang, Z.-F., Tashkin, D., Feng, B., Straif, K., & Hashibe, M. (2015) · Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention · doi:10.1158/1055-9965.epi-14-1026 · Cited by 91 · cited 1×
“However, this review was limited in two ways: firstly, it did not assess the quality of the case–control studies – an important step toward understanding potential sources of bias introduced by the authors; and secondly, it did not differentiate between seminoma and non-seminoma tumour types [10] – which is also impor…”
ResultBirth weight and the risk of testicular cancer: A meta‐analysis
Michos, A., Xue, F., & Michels, K. B. (2007) · International Journal of Cancer · doi:10.1002/ijc.22771 · Cited by 71 · cited 1×
“1 indicating high inter-study heterogeneity) [18, 19] and I(2) (0 % indicating no inter-study heterogeneity) [15, 19] tests.”
Szöke, A., Galliot, A. M., Richard, J., Ferchiou, A., Baudin, G., Leboyer, M., & Schürhoff, F. (2014) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.05.008 · Cited by 59
de Beaurepaire, R., Lukasiewicz, M., Beauverie, P., Castéra, S., Dagorne, O., Espaze, R., Falissard, B., Giroult, P., Houery, M., Mahuzier, G., et al. (2007) · European psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2007.05.001 · Cited by 58
Lacson, J., Bernstein, L., & Cortessis, V. K. (2013) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.27878 · Cited by 52 · cited 10×
“ring in 1986 [8] and the most recent occurring in 2006 [9].”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialTrends in testicular germ cell cancer incidence in Australia
Baade, P., Carriere, P., & Fritschi, L. (2008) · Cancer Causes and Control · doi:10.1007/s10552-008-9168-z · Cited by 36 · cited 2×
“Non-seminoma tumours are typically diagnosed seven [11] to ten [12] years earlier than seminoma tumours.”
BackgroundResultUrological complications of illicit drug use
Skeldon, S. C., & Goldenberg, S. (2014) · Nature reviews. Urology · doi:10.1038/nrurol.2014.22 · Cited by 34
The association between smokeless tobacco use and pancreatic adenocarcinoma: A systematic review
Burkey, M. D., Feirman, S. P., Wang, H., Choudhury, S. R., Grover, S., & Johnston, F. (2014) · Cancer Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.canep.2014.08.010 · Cited by 18 · cited 1×
“Given these factors, we assessed study quality and potential for bias using the criteria outlined in the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale [15, 16], but did not determine a quality score [17].”
MethodThe accuracy of self-reported data concerning recent cannabis use in the French armed forces.
Mayet, A., Esvan, M., Marimoutou, C., Haus-Cheymol, R., Verret, C., Ollivier, L., Meynard, J., Michel, R., Boutin, J., Deparis, X., et al. (2013) · European Journal of Public Health · doi:10.1093/eurpub/cks108 · Cited by 16 · cited 1×
“cluded studies [27].”
Alam, S. S., Cantwell, M., Cardwell, C., Cook, M., & Murray, L. (2010) · Cancer Epidemiology · doi:10.1016/j.canep.2010.07.006 · Cited by 13 · cited 2×
“1 indicating high inter-study heterogeneity) [18, 19] and I(2) (0 % indicating no inter-study heterogeneity) [15, 19] tests.”
MethodJain, R., Quraishi, R., Majumder, P., & Pattanayak, R. (2013) · Journal of Substance Use · doi:10.3109/14659891.2012.674625 · Cited by 8 · cited 1×
“mate current use of cannabis [24–26]; however there is”
Background
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- UNODC. World drug report. New York: United Nations; 2014.
- McGlynn KA, Cook MB. The epidemiology of testicular cancer. Male reproductive cancers: epidemiology, pathology and genetics. New York: Springer; 2009.
- Lacson JCA, Carroll JD, Tuazon E, Castelao EJ, Bernstein L, Cortessis VK. Population-based case–control study of recreational drug use and testis cancer risk confirms an association between marijuana use and nonseminoma risk. Cancer. 2012;118(21):5374–83. doi: 10.1002/cncr.27554 . · DOI
- Stroup D, Berlin J, Morton S, Olkin I, Williamson G, Rennie D, et al. Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology: a proposal for reporting. JAMA. 2000;283(15):2008–12. doi: 10.1001/jama.283.15.2008 . · DOI · Paper page
- Kirkwood BR, Sterne JA. Essential medical statistics. 2nd ed. Malden: Blackwell Science Ltd; 2003.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Groce, E. (2018) · Journal of Medical Regulation · doi:10.30770/2572-1852-104.4.32 · Cited by 1,332
Addressing mental health needs: an integral part of COVID‐19 response
Ghebreyesus, T. A. (2020) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20768 · Cited by 403
Nugent, S. M., Morasco, B. J., O'Neil, M. E., Freeman, M., Low, A., Kondo, K., Elven, C., Zakher, B., Motu'apuaka, M., Paynter, R., et al. (2017) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/m17-0155 · Cited by 301
“Testicular cancer Meta-analysis (60) of 3 high-ROB case–control studies; combined N = 719 Increased cancer risk for weekly users compared with never-users seen with nonseminoma cancer but not seminoma cancer (OR, 1.”
BackgroundSolmi, M., Toffol, M. D., Kim, J. Y., Choi, M., Stubbs, B., Thompson, T., Firth, J., Miola, A., Croatto, G., Baggio, F., et al. (2023) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj-2022-072348 · Cited by 322
Assessing the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use: the US experience
Hall, W., & Lynskey, M. (2020) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20735 · Cited by 255
Metadata
- Authors
- Gurney, J., Shaw, C., Stanley, J., Signal, V., & Sarfati, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Otago (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Gurney, J.
- Venue
- BMC Cancer
- Published
- 2015-11-11
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 897-897
- ISSN
- 1471-2407 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4642772
- OpenAlex
- W2118479499
- Cited by
- 137
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 1.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- BMC Cancer (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Health Research Council of New Zealand (NZ) (14/052)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Testicular diseases and treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
- Keywords
- cannabis use, testicular cancer, testicular germ cell tumors, non-seminoma, seminoma, cancer risk factors, chronic cannabis use, case-control study
- MeSH terms
- Cannabis, Humans, Male, Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal, Risk Factors, Testicular Neoplasms, United States, Case-Control Studies
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review