Statins Cut Risk of Prostate Cancer By a Factor of Three

Last Updated: 2009-04-30 8:00:39 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Martha Kerr

CHICAGO (Reuters Health) - Mayo Clinic researchers announced here Saturday, opening day of the 104th annual scientific meeting of the American Urological Association, that statin use is associated with a three-fold reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.

The Rochester, Minnesota, team used data from 2427 men, ages 40 to 79 years, enrolled in the Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status among Men. The project was initiated in 1990.

At baseline, patients underwent a detailed clinic exam which included prostate specific antigen (PSA) measurements. PSA levels were obtained biennially thereafter through 2007. Medical records were reviewed to determine whether a prostate biopsy was done or whether biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer developed. The median follow-up was 14.1 years.

Of 616 statin users, 75 men (12.2%) had a prostate biopsy and 30 men (4.9%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Compared with patients who did not use statins, the age-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for prostate biopsy was 0.39 and the HR for prostate cancer diagnosis was 0.38.

"Of 618 patients with biennial PSA measurements, 11 (6.3%) statin users exceeded age-specific PSA thresholds compared with 65 (14.7%) non-statin users (HR=0.35)," the researchers wrote in their conference abstract.

"Our research provides evidence that statin use is associated with a threefold reduced risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer," principal investigator Jeffrey Karnes said.

"In the United States, one in six men will develop prostate cancer. However, far more will develop heart disease," Dr. Karnes commented. "I tell my patients to take care of their heart, because what"s good for the heart is also good for the prostate."

The results are preliminary, the Mayo Clinic investigator cautioned. "To determine if statins are protective for prostate cancer, randomized controlled trials are necessary."

He speculated that the reason for the risk reduction is due to the drug"s anti-inflammatory effects.


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