Men with low serum cholesterol have a lower risk of high-grade prostate cancer in the placebo arm of the prostate cancer prevention trial.
BACKGROUND
Several prospective studies suggest that use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs is inversely associated with advanced stage and possibly high-grade prostate cancer. One study reported that men with low cholesterol had a lower risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Given these findings, we investigated the association between low serum cholesterol and prostate cancer risk in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial.


METHODS
We conducted a cohort study of 5,586 men ages >or=55 years who were randomized to the placebo arm of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial between 1993 and 1996. Serum cholesterol was measured enzymatically at entry. By the end of follow-up, 1,251 prostate cancer cases were confirmed. We used logistic regression to calculate the multivariable odds ratio (OR) of total, and Gleason 2 to 6 (n = 993), 7 (n = 199), and 8 to 10 (n = 59) prostate cancer comparing low serum (normal, <200 mg/dL) to high-serum (borderline and elevated cholesterol, >or=200 mg/dL) cholesterol.


RESULTS
Men with low cholesterol had a lower risk of Gleason 8 to 10 prostate cancer [OR, 0.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.22-0.77] than men with high cholesterol. No association was present for prostate cancer overall (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85-1.11), Gleason 2 to 6 disease (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.89-1.18), or Gleason 7 disease (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.69-1.24).


CONCLUSIONS
These prospective results support that men with low cholesterol have a reduced risk of high-grade prostate cancer. These and other contemporary data that suggest that cholesterol metabolism should be investigated further in the etiology of prostate cancer.
Platz
Elizabeth A
EA
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. eplatz@jhsph.edu
Till
Cathee
C
Goodman
Phyllis J
PJ
Parnes
Howard L
HL
Figg
William D
WD
Albanes
Demetrius
D
Neuhouser
Marian L
ML
Klein
Eric A
EA
Thompson
Ian M
IM
Kristal
Alan R
AR
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors
D010919:Placebos; D002784:Cholesterol; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen