The potential link between a high cholesterol level and increased cancer risk is not a new one, nor is the idea that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs might offer a protective benefit for men when it comes to prostate cancer. However, a new research study completed by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health offers up additional information that suggests while cholesterol-lowering statin drugs will not prevent prostate cancer, drugs that lower cholesterol might reduce the risk of men developing advanced prostate cancer, according to a CBS newscast this evening that cited the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Dec. 20, 2006 issue; Vol. 98: pp. 1819-1825.
The analyzed data revealed that men diagnosed with prostate cancer were half as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer if they were taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, and the longer the drugs were taken, the better the protective benefit.
At this time, it is a preliminary conclusion. "It is premature to recommend the use of statins for the prevention of advanced prostate cancer," stated the researchers. They are calling for additional research to support their findings, and to clarify that there are not other reasons for the difference in advanced prostate cancer outcomes.
