Concurrent testosterone therapy, statins may protect against aggressive prostate cancer

Men using testosterone therapy (TTh) and statins concomitantly appear to have lower odds of developing high-grade and advanced stage prostate cancer, and this benefit is especially pronounced among White and Black men, a study has found.

The analysis included 74,181 White, 9,157 Black, and 3,313 Hispanic men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Researchers ascertained prediagnostic prescription of TTh and statins. They used weighted multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic and Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the concurrent use of the two medications in relation to the incidence of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer incidence was inversely associated with either TTh (odds ratio [OR], 0.74, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.68–0.81) or statins (OR, 0.77, 95 percent CI, 0.0.75–0.88). The same was observed for high-grade and advanced prostate cancer.

When used concurrently, TTh and statins conferred a greater protection against incident prostate cancer (OR, 0.53, 95 percent CI, 0.48–0.60), as well as high-grade (OR, 0.43, 95 percent CI, 0.37–0.49) and advanced disease (OR, 0.44, 95 percent CI, 0.35–0.55). These associations remained significant among White and Black men only. Among Hispanics, statins were associated with prostate cancer-specific mortality.

The present data suggest a potential interaction between TTh and statin, with an additive effect on incident and aggressive prostate cancer in men of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. More studies are needed to establish the independent inverse association of TTh and the joint inverse association of TTh plus statins on the risk of prostate cancer in understudied populations, according to researchers.