Anogenital distance is a risk factor of prostate cancer

A greater distance between the anus and the genitals of men is associated with a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. The difference between sick and not sick patients is really small, does not reach 5 millimeters, but CREAL (Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology) researchers have found that prostate cancer patients analyzed have lower anogenital distance that individuals do not get cancer.

This is the first study that reports about these measurements as a risk factor for this cancer. According Dr. Gemma Castaño, CREAL researcher and lead author of the study, "the important issue now is to replicate this study with a larger number of people." And this study has involved 60 patients with prostate cancer and 52 patients without this condition at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona and Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona.

Specifically, the anogenital distance in routine checks is 125 mm, while in patients with prostate cancer is 120 millimeters.