A new analysis of data from Danish patient registries shows that statin use after diagnosis of prostate cancer is associated with reduced prostate-cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) and all-cause mortality.

Several studies have explored the relationship between statin use and mortality in men with prostate cancer. Data on effects of prediagnosis statin use are conflicting but some studies indicate beneficial effects of postdiagnosis use on PCSM. A new report investigated data from Danish registries of 31,790 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998–2011, including values from 1 year after diagnosis. During a median follow-up period of 2.8 years, 23% of men died of prostate cancer and 37% of men died from other causes. Those men who used statins after diagnosis had a 17% reduced PCSM and a 19% reduced all-cause mortality compared with nonusers (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.77–0.89 and HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.76–0.85, respectively).

The team performed further analyses using data from men diagnosed after 2002, from when almost complete information on Gleason scores and treatment types was available. Stratification by age at diagnosis, clinical stage, Gleason score, or intensity or type of statin use did not result in substantial HR changes. PCSM HRs for cohorts who underwent endocrine treatment or radical prostatectomy were lower than that determined in the primary analysis. Results of sensitivity analyses were similar to those of the primary analysis.

Further research will need to determine possible causality underlying the reported associations between statin use and mortality.