A new study has revealed that men who suffer from erectile dysfunction are at higher risk of developing cancer, according to Urology Today.

The research, conducted by the department of urology at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and the National Taiwan University Hospital, examined cancer rates of 1,882 men with erectile dysfunction over the five years immediately following their initial diagnosis. The study also evaluated 9,410 men selected at random as a control.

Among the group of 11,292 men, 183 developed cancer within the five-year study period. The group of men suffering from erectile dysfunction had 43 individuals diagnosed with cancer, representing 2.3 percent of that group, while 140 men in the control group - 1.6 percent - developed the disease.

The study then adjusted the results for the patients’ monthly income, geographic location and urbanization of their communities, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease and hyperlipidemia.

Ultimately, after adjustments were made, the men with erectile dysfunction were found to be 1.42 times more likely to develop cancer than then men in the control group.

The study cautions, however, that data on the men’s smoking habits was unavailable and could be a potential confounding factor.