Statins and PSA

The value of statins (medications used to lower cholesterol levels) to reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer, as well as to lower PSA levels in men without prostate cancer, is controversial. This study looked at the association of statin use and biochemical (PSA) recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

The study examined evidence from a large database of 1,325 men who had prostate cancer surgery; it compared time to PSA recurrence between the men who were on statins (a total of 237 men) when they had the surgery and those who weren’t taking the drugs. Statin users were an average of two years older and underwent surgery more recently than the nonusers. They were diagnosed at lower clinical stages and with lower PSA levels, but they tended to have higher Gleason scores than the nonusers. After adjusting for multiple factors, the results showed that statin use was associated with a 30% lower risk of PSA recurrence. The reduction in risk depended on the dose: Patients who took less than 20 mg had no reduction in risk, while those who took a dose of 20 mg or higher had a 43% and 50% reduced risk, respectively.

These findings — subject to confirmation by other studies — suggest that statins may be effective in slowing prostate cancer progression after radical prostatectomy.