Statin Drugs May Help Improve Prostate Cancer Survival

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may help slow prostate cancer in men who are taking drugs to reduce their hormone levels, i.e. androgen deprivation or hormonal therapy.  In a study presented at the recent Orlando meeting of the American Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Center cited that taking a statin drug concurrent with hormone therapy slowed the progress of prostate cancer by about 10 months.  Statin users were also less likely to be initially diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.  It must be noted that the study did not show a direct cause and effect but merely an association between the two treatment regimens.  The study involved 926 prostate cancer patients on hormonal therapy.  For more information about the study and potential ways that statins might affect prostate cancer, see the linked article.