13 Oct Abnormal Lipid Levels Linked To Greater Risk of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Emma H. Allott PhD
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine
Cancer Prevention, Detection, and Control Program, Duke Cancer Institute Division of Urology
Veterans Affairs Medical Center Durham Durham, North Carolina.
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Allott: Relative to normal triglyceride levels, high triglycerides (≥150 mg/dl) were associated with 35% increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence. In addition, we found that each 10 mg/dl increase in total serum cholesterol above the abnormal cut-off value of 200 mg/dl was associated with a 9% increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence, while each 10 mg/dl increase in HDL (high density lipoprotein; “good” cholesterol) below the abnormal cut-off value of 40 mg/dl was associated with a 39% increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence. These findings suggest that normalization, or even partial normalization, of serum lipid levels among men with dyslipidemia may reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence.
Medical Research: What was most surprising about the results?
Dr. Allott: Given the strong biologic rationale supporting a role for cholesterol in prostate cancer growth and progression, we hypothesized that high cholesterol, high triglycerides and high LDL (low density lipoprotein; “bad” cholesterol) would be associated with increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence, while low HDL (“good” cholesterol) would be associated with lower risk of prostate cancer recurrence. Thus, our findings that abnormal lipid levels (high cholesterol, high triglycerides and low HDL) were associated with higher risk of prostate cancer recurrence supported our hypothesis.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Allott: Our findings suggest that controlling lipid levels may be important not only for cardiovascular disease prevention, but also for prostate cancer. Given that 45% of deaths worldwide can be attributed to cardiovascular disease and cancer, with prostate cancer the second most common cause of male cancer deaths, understanding the role of dyslipidemia as a shared, modifiable risk factor for both of these common causes of mortality is of great importance.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Allott: These results, combined with previous evidence that post-diagnosis statin use is associated with reduced recurrence risk, support conducting randomized clinical trials to test the impact of normalizing serum lipid levels, using dietary interventions and/or statin use, on prostate cancer progression.
Citation:
Serum Lipid Profile and Risk of Prostate Cancer Recurrence: Results from the SEARCH Database
Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD