Data from Cholesterol Levels in Blood and the Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Meta-analysis of 14 Prospective Studies

Abstract

<div>Abstract<p><b>Background:</b> As a neutral lipid and prominent component of the Western diet, cholesterol levels might be a risk factor for prostate cancer. However, current evidence has been inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association between blood cholesterol levels and the risk of prostate cancer.</p><p><b>Methods:</b> An extensive search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE for prospective studies that have reported the association between total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels in blood and risk of prostate cancer. Random-effects models were used to summarize the study-specific results.</p><p><b>Results:</b> Fourteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis, the summarized risk ratios (RR) for the highest to lowest cholesterol levels were as follows: 1.05 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.97–1.14; <i>P</i> = 0.21] for TC, 0.93 (95% CI, 0.80–1.10; <i>P</i> = 0.40) for HDL, and 1.17 (95% CI, 0.88–1.55; <i>P</i> = 0.51) for LDL. When restricting to high-grade prostate cancer, the pooled RR was 1.32 (95% CI, 0.93–1.87; <i>P</i> = 0.13) for TC. In dose–response analyses, a 1 mmol/L increment in blood TC, HDL, and LDL level conferred an RR of 1.01 (95% CI, 0.99–1.02; <i>P</i> = 0.38), 0.98 (95% CI, 0.91–1.07; <i>P</i> = 0.72), and 1.04 (95% CI, 0.98–1.10; <i>P</i> = 0.24), respectively.</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b> In this meta-analysis of 14 large prospective studies, blood TC, HDL, and LDL levels were not associated with the risk of either overall prostate cancer or high-grade prostate cancer.</p><p><b>Impact:</b> Our findings did not appear to support the hypothesis that hypercholesterolemia increases the risk of prostate cancer. <i>Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(7); 1086–93. ©2015 AACR</i>.</p></div>