Statins are commonly prescribed agents to lower cholesterol and the associated risks of vascular events. Statins are also known to have proapoptotic and antimetastatic effects in cancer. In fact, some studies inversely associate statin use with breast and colorectal cancers, but others to include epidemiologic ones have not supported this observation. Dr. Platz and colleagues evaluated over 30,000 men in a longitudinal health study with regard to statin use and risk of prostate cancer (CaP) and reported their findings in the December 20, 2006 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Study participants were enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study of diet and other risk factors for heart disease, cancer and other conditions. It began in 1986 and questionnaires were completed biennially with an overall questionnaire response rate of 94%. Data regarding statin use began in 1990 and was thus the time of initiating study analysis. Medical records were obtained for men diagnosed with CaP. Stage T1a disease was excluded and participants were categorized as organ confined or advanced; regionally invasive, metastatic or fatal. Disease was also categorized as lower grade or higher grade. While 91% of all cholesterol drugs taken were statins, data on brand, type or dose was not acquired.
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