A new study by scientists at Lund University in Sweden, has concluded that middle aged men who suffer acute cystitis, are up to seven times more likely (than otherwise expected) to be diagnosed with prostate cancer within the following three months. 

The study, published in the journal BMJ Public Health, examined Swedish health records from some 3.55 million men and women, aged over 50, between 1997 and 2018.

From this total, researchers identified 177,736 men and 427,821 women who had been diagnosed with acute cystitis.

They found that the risk of a range of urogenital cancers was significantly higher among those who were diagnosed with cystitis, and that the risk was highest three months after diagnosis.

For prostate cancer, the risk was seven times higher in those who had had the infection, than those who had not.

The conclusions of this research potentially adds another diagnostic tool, by identifying additional warning signs which could lead to earlier intervention in a disease where early diagnosis significantly impacts survival rates.