Statins May Prevent Prostate Cancer Detection
A recent study shows that the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor reduce the blood marker for prostate cancer but don’t necessarily decrease the risk of developing it. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate gland that is usually present in small amounts for healthy people. Higher PSA levels occur when there is prostate cancer, and testing for this protein is currently the most effective way to screen for this disease. Statins seem to lower PSA levels but don’t necessarily lower the risk of cancer. This can potentially cause men who would otherwise be diagnosed and treated for the cancer to be passed over as cancer free.
The study included 1,214 men without prostate cancer who were prescribed statin drugs between 1990 and 2006. Duke researchers found that PSA levels dropped 4.1 percent on average. PSA levels appeared to drop the most in patients who took higher doses of statin drugs and experienced larger decreases in LDL cholesterol.
Further tests are needed to determine if statins may help to prevent and treat prostate cancer, or if they only lower PSA levels.
Have you experienced any side effects from using statin drugs? Please share your experiences and opinions!