The association between statins and prostate cancer

This study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2007 Nov;16(11):2226-32

 

Study title and authors:

Cholesterol-lowering drugs and prostate cancer risk: a population-based case-control study.

Murtola TJ, Tammela TL, Lahtela J, Auvinen A.

School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, FIN-33014, Finland. teemu.murtola@uta.fi

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18006910

This study evaluated the association between cholesterol-lowering medication use and prostate cancer risk. The study included all newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases in Finland during 1995 to 2002 and matched controls (24,723 case control pairs).

The study found:
(a) Those taking statins had a 7% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking statins.
(b) Those taking fibrates had a 5% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking fibrates.
(c) Those taking other cholesterol lowering medications (resins and acipimox) had a 16% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking cholesterol lowering medications.
(d) Those with 14-167 cumulative daily doses of statins had a 6% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking statins.
(e) Those with 915-6,781 cumulative daily doses of statins had a 13% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those not taking statins. 

Statin use associated with increased risk of prostate cancer

This study was published in Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases 2005;8(4):316-20

Study title and authors:
Hypertriglyceridemia as a possible risk factor for prostate cancer.

Wuermli L, Joerger M, Henz S, Schmid HP, Riesen WF, Thomas G, Krek W, Cerny T, Gillessen S.
Department of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital St.Gallen, Switzerland.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16158078

This study assessed various factors in patients with prostate cancer and compared them with patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. (Benign prostatic hyperplasia is an increase in size of the prostate gland without malignancy present and it is so common as to be normal with advancing age). The study included 504 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and 565 age-matched patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Regarding statins, the study found that statin usage was 23% higher in the patients that had developed prostate cancer compared to the patients with an enlarged prostate.

Statin use increases the risk of breast and prostate cancer

This study was published in Epidemiology 2002 May;13(3):262-7

 

Study title and authors:

Statin use and the risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Coogan PF, Rosenberg L, Palmer JR, Strom BL, Zauber AG, Shapiro S.

Slone Epidemiology Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Brookline, MA 02446, USA. pcoogan@slone.bu.edu

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11964926

This study assessed the relationship of statin use to the risk of breast and prostate cancer. The study included 1,132 women with breast cancer and 1,009 men with prostate cancer who were compared with 1,331 women and 1,387 men without breast or prostate cancer.

The study found:
(a) Women using statins had a 50% increased risk of breast cancer compared to women not using statins.
(b) Men using statins had a 20% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men not using statins.

Statins associated with elevated risk of high-grade prostate cancer

This study was published in the European Journal of Cancer 2015 Feb 23. pii: S0959-8049(15)00124-0

 

Study title and authors:

The risk of prostate cancer for men on aspirin, statin or antidiabetic medications.

Nordström T, Clements M, Karlsson R, Adolfsson J, Grönberg H.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25727881

This study estimated the association between prescribed medications and the risk of either any prostate cancer or high-grade prostate cancer. The study included 185,667 men having a first recorded prostate specific antigen test and 18,574 men having a first prostate biopsy.

Regarding statins, the study found:
(a) Men using statins had a 16% increased risk of any prostate cancer compared to men not taking statins.
(b) Men using statins had a 25% increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer compared to men not taking statins. 

Nordstrom concluded: "Use of any statins was associated with an elevated risk of being diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer".