Although statins are known to protect against cardiovascular accidents, their anti-inflammatory features could play a role in preventing tumorigenesis. We investigated the association between statin intake and prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis and aggressiveness.
A retrospective analysis was performed. Our dataset on patients undergone systematic prostate biopsy from December 2008 to December 2022 was searched for histopathologic and clinical data. Prognostic Grade Group ≥3 tumors were defined as high-grade (HG). The association between Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), statin use and PCa diagnosis and HG disease was assessed using logistic regression analyses.
Data on 1685 patients were collected; MetS affected 344 (20.4%) men and 138 (36.5%) were taking statins at least for 6 months at the time of biopsy. Among the 671 (39.8%) men diagnosed with PCa, 327 (48.7%) presented with a HG disease. Tumor incidence was higher among men taking statins, compared to controls (46.8% vs. 37.8%; P=0.002); also, high grade diseases were more common in the former group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (49.1% vs. 48.6%; P=0.89). Statin intake (OR 1.44; 95% CI [1.05-1.98]; P=0.02) independently predicted PCa diagnosis but not high-grade disease (P=0.8).
Statin use may be associated with an increased risk of PCa diagnosis.
Minerva urology and nephrology. 2023 Oct 05 [Epub ahead of print]
Aldo Brassetti, Francesco Tedesco, Loris Cacciatore, Francesco Prata, Alberto Ragusa, Andrea Iannuzzi, Riccardo Lombardo, Giorgia Tema, Antonio Cicione, Andrea Tubaro, Giuseppe Simone, Cosimo DE Nunzio
Department of Urology, IRCCS "Regina Elena" National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy., Department of Urology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy - ., Department of Urology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy., Department of Urology, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.