Cholesterol lowering slows down prostate cancer

A Finnish study has found out that cholesterol lowering medication can slow down the growth of prostate cancer, the most common form of cancer among men, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported on Tuesday.

The study conducted by a research team at the University of Tampere in central Finland was published in European Urology journal in late June.

The team leader, Professor Teemu Murtola from the university, said that atorvastatin, the medicine applied in the study, is one of the most commonly used cholesterol lowering medications.

A total of 158 men, who received prostate cancer surgeries at the Tampere University Hospital, participated in the research. All the patients took atorvastatin, 27 days in average before their operations. None of the participants had taken any cholesterol medication in the past.

The activity of prostate cancer cell was measured by examining the tissue protein, which only appears in actively dividing cells of the 158 prostates, according to the research team.

In at least 27 days when the medicine was used, the growth of prostate cancer in all the 158 participants slowed down, regardless of how serious the disease was. Therefore, the study concluded that long-term use of the cholesterol lowering medication could slow down the growth of prostate cancer.

"The research results have a significant impact on the public health, as prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men in Finland. About 5,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 800 of them die of it annually," Murtola was quoted by Yle as saying.

The professor disclosed that his team will undertake a follow-up study to determine whether the use of the medicine affects the progression and prognosis of prostate cancer.

According to World Cancer Research Fund International, more than 1.1 million cases of prostate cancer were recorded globally in 2012, accounting for around 8 percent of all new cancer cases and 15 percent in men.