Prostate cancer risk lower in Asians

Asian race appears to confer protection against the risk of prostate cancer, possibly due to biological, genetic, and/or lifestyle factors, according to data from the Reduction by Dutasteride of Cancer Events (REDUCE) study.

The 4-year REDUCE study included 8,122 men aged 50–75 years, of which 71 percent were Caucasian and 1.8 percent were Asian. Prostate-specific androgen (PSA) levels at baseline were between 2.5 and 10 ng/mL, and all participants received either dutasteride or placebo for prostate cancer prevention.

In the cohort, 5,755 (98.2 percent) were Caucasian men and 105 (1.8 percent) were Asian men. Asians were less likely to have an abnormal digital rectal examination at baseline (0.0 percent vs 3.6 percent; p=0.048), more likely to have lower prostate volume (35 vs 43.5 cc; p<0.001), and lower body mass index (24.8 vs 26.9 kg/m²; p<0.001) compared with Caucasians.

There were no between-group differences seen in baseline age, PSA, family history of prostate cancer, and smoking status (p≥0.164 for all). Furthermore, Asian and Caucasian men were equally likely to receive any on-study biopsy (p=0.634).

Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that Asians were less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer during the 4-year study (odds ratio, 0.49, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.28–0.88; p=0.016) compared with Caucasians.