Statin Therapy Tied to Lower Prostate Cancer Risk
THURSDAY, June 23 (HealthDay News) — Statin therapy may decrease the risk and severity of prostate cancer, according to a study published in the July issue of The Journal of Urology.
Nelly Tan, M.D., from the Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, and colleagues investigated the association between statin therapy and prostate cancer in men who underwent prostate biopsy. Between 2000 and 2007, 4,204 men underwent biopsy, including 1,022 men on statin therapy and 3,182 men not on statin therapy. Statin use was assessed on the basis of pharmacy records. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effects of statins and the duration of use.
The investigators found that men diagnosed with prostate cancer while on statin therapy were significantly less likely to have digital rectal examination positivity (odds ratio [OR], 0.7), high-grade prostate cancer (Gleason score 7 or greater; OR, 0.78), and high-volume prostate cancer, compared to nonstatin users. Prostate-specific antigen was significantly lower in statin users compared to nonstatin users. After adjustments, the risk ratio (RR) was significantly lower for prostate cancer diagnosis, high-grade prostate cancer, and high-volume (three or more cores positive) in statin users (RR, 0.92, 0.76, and 0.86, respectively). Length of use was associated with a lower rate of high-grade cancer.
"This study provides evidence that patients screened for prostate cancer who use statins are less likely to have cancer detected at the time of initial biopsy, less likely to have moderate to high-grade prostate cancer and more likely to have lower prostate cancer volume compared to nonstatin users," the authors write.
One of the study authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
