Originally published 9/6/2015
Ten years after we posted the optimistic update below, a new study appears to dash any hopes that statins lower the risk of prostate cancer (PCa). If the study findings prove correct, it would put to rest the past decade’s worth of inconsistent evidence. The study team is comprised of authorities out of several noteworthy U.S. and Canadian academic centers, so it carries professional weight.
Titled “The association between statin use, genetic variation, and prostate cancer risk,” the study included data on 3481 patients diagnosed with significant PCa, 32% of which were on statins at the time of biopsy.[i]
The authors report, “Statin users were older and had higher body mass index, greater number of positive cores, and higher Gleason scores. In total, 2061 participants (59%) were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with 922 cases (45%) classified as high-grade. When adjusted for baseline characteristics, the use of statins was not associated with decreased risk of overall or high-grade prostate cancer.”
Thus, they concluded that statins do not have a protective effect against developing PCa, or against higher risk disease. As the authors state their disappointing conclusion, “Thus, our findings do not add evidence in support of a prostate cancer chemopreventive role for statins.”
Last December I posted a blog entry on the possibility that statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, can reduce the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer (PCa). If you’re interested, I summarized the relationship between how statins control cholesterol and scientific theories about the connection with PCa; you can read it at http://sperlingprostatecenter.com/statins-prostate-cancer/.
I try to keep informed on updated information on this topic. I was happy to come across a new large scale study/analysis from a collaborative Harvard-Vanderbilt University team with modestly encouraging results.[ii] I especially like this study because it includes a large percentage of black men, unlike many other studies that primarily include whites.
The authors enrolled 32,091 men (ages 40-79 at the time of enrollment). Sixty-seven percent of them were black. Within 8 years of the study’s beginning, 570 men were diagnosed with PCa, divided into 324 low-grade PCa (Gleason < 3+4) and high-grade PCa (Gleason > 4+3). Those who reported taking statins at the time of enrollment were:
- 10% black patients
- 22% white patients.
Compared with patients who did not use statins, those who took the drugs had an overall 14% lower risk of PCa, which was not statistically significant. According to the authors, this association was stronger for those with high-grade PCa, and was the same risk reduction whether the men were white or black. The team concluded that there was “no strong association between statin use [and prostate cancer] overall,” but if the tendency toward a small degree of risk protection exists, it would be the same regardless of race/ethnicity, and “may be restricted to high-grade tumors…”
More research will need to be done to explore whether statins play a beneficial role regarding prostate cancer. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that statins increase longevity for those whose high levels of cholesterol put them at risk for cardiovascular disease.
NOTE: This content is solely for purposes of information and does not substitute for diagnostic or medical advice. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing pelvic pain, or have any other health concerns or questions of a personal medical nature.
References
[i] Amiri A, Xu W, Zhang Q, Jeong JH et al. The association between statin use, genetic variation, and prostate cancer risk. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2025 Apr 7.
[ii] Kantor ED, Lipworth L, Fowke JH et al. Statin use and risk of prostate cancer: Results from the Southern Community Cohort Study. Prostate. 2015 May 27. doi: 10.1002/pros.23019. [Epub ahead of print]
About Dr. Dan Sperling
Dan Sperling, MD, DABR, is a board certified radiologist who is globally recognized as a leader in multiparametric MRI for the detection and diagnosis of a range of disease conditions. As Medical Director of the Sperling Prostate Center, Sperling Medical Group and Sperling Neurosurgery Associates, he and his team are on the leading edge of significant change in medical practice. He is the co-author of the new patient book Redefining Prostate Cancer, and is a contributing author on over 25 published studies. For more information, contact the Sperling Prostate Center.
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