Benefits stacking up in statin studies
Recent studies suggest that statins may benefit several aspects of prostate health. Statins are drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol; laboratory studies have also observed that they prevent cancer cells from dividing and may cause some cancer cells to die. Here’s a look at a few significant studies presented at the AUA meeting.
A University of Toronto study reported that men who took statins before radical prostatectomy had a 30% lower risk of the cancer coming back. The researchers think statins’ anti-inflammatory or cholesterol-lowering properties may explain these results, but questions remain about the best dose, time before any benefits appear, and the effect of starting the drugs after surgery.
Three presentations reported preliminary findings from a large Mayo Clinic study that looked at the connection between statin use and male urological function. The study has followed 2,447 men between the ages of 40 and 79 since 1990; 30% of the men were statin users. In the first study, statin users were three times less likely to develop prostate cancer than non-users, pointing to the possibility that these drugs may prevent the development of this cancer. The second study (involving 1,480 of the men) examined the effect of statins on erectile dysfunction (high cholesterol is known to put men in danger for ED). While statin use was not significantly linked to a lower risk of developing ED in the overall group, it did decrease the risk among men over age 60. And men who took statins for nine years or longer were 64% less likely to develop ED compared to those who took the drugs for less than three years. Finally, some researchers found that taking statins may prevent or delay BPH (enlarged prostate), which affects almost half of men between 70 and 80 years of age. The statin users were 63% less likely to develop lower urinary tract problems, and 57% less likely to develop BPH.
While all these results look promising for statins, more research is needed to tell if these agents might actually prevent prostate cancer or other urological problems.
