Hypertension, obesity and prostate cancer biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy - Abstract

Background:The metabolic syndrome (MetS) comprises a constellation of risk factors associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Components of MetS have emerged as putative risk factors for prostate carcinoma. In this study, we examine the association between three features of the MetS (obesity, hypertension and diabetes) and the risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods:We examined data from 1428 men in the University of Michigan Prostate Cancer Data Bank who elected to have RP as their primary treatment. We calculated body mass index from patients' weight and height measured at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis. We used the University of Michigan's Electronic Medical Record Search Engine to identify subjects with hypertension and/or diabetes before their prostate cancer diagnosis.

Results:Of 1428 men who underwent RP, 107 (8%) subsequently developed BCR with a median length of follow-up post-surgery of 3.6 years. Obesity and hypertension were each associated with an increased risk of BCR (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR)=1.37; 95% CI 0.92-2.09 and aHR=1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.26), whereas no association was observed between diabetes and BCR (aHR=0.73; 95% CI 0.40-1.33).

Conclusions:Obesity and hypertension were each associated with an increased risk for BCR of prostate cancer after RP, independent of age at diagnosis and tumor pathological features. Given the increasing rates of obesity, hypertension and prostate cancer, a better understanding of the relationship between these entities is of significant public health importance. Elucidation of the involved pathogenic mechanisms will be needed to establish causality.

Written by:
Asmar R, Beebe-Dimmer JL, Korgavkar K, Keele GR, Cooney KA.   Are you the author?
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Reference: Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2012 Aug 21. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1038/pcan.2012.32


PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22907512

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