But more trials are needed to confirm benefits, researchers say
FRIDAY, May 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Statins may slow the progression of prostate cancer in patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy, according to a study published online May 7 in JAMA Oncology.
Among 926 men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for advanced prostate therapy, those taking statins saw significant benefits, researchers said. Their cancer remained stable for an average of 27.5 months before worsening, compared with an average of 17.4 months among men not taking statins.
“These findings are preliminary, so I would not recommend that everybody start on statins to slow prostate cancer,” senior author Philip Kantoff, M.D., chief of solid tumor oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, told HealthDay. Also, Kantoff cautioned that these findings apply only to men who have advanced prostate cancer that has relapsed after androgen deprivation therapy. “This does not speak to early-stage prostate cancer or whether statins are beneficial in preventing prostate cancer,” he said.
Patients in the study, conducted from 1996 to 2013, were followed for nearly six years on average.
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