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Review
. 2011 Aug;38(3):243-59.
doi: 10.1016/j.ucl.2011.04.001. Epub 2011 Jun 22.

The complex interplay between cholesterol and prostate malignancy

Keith R Solomon  1 , Michael R Freeman
Affiliations
Review

The complex interplay between cholesterol and prostate malignancy

Keith R Solomon et al. Urol Clin North Am. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

Research into the role of cholesterol and prostate disease has been ongoing for many years, but our mechanistic and translational understanding is still poor. Recent evidence indicates that cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. This article reviews the literature on the relationship between circulating cholesterol and prostate cancer. The data strongly point to hypercholesterolemia as a risk factor for prostate cancer progression and suggest clinical opportunities for the use of cholesterol-lowering therapies to alter disease course.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The authors have nothing to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theoretical representation of the relationship between low cholesterol and the risk of prostate cancer death in the pre- and post-PSA eras.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Tumor growth in castrated mice
Castrated mice were fed isocaloric no cholesterol or high cholesterol diets for 80 days. LNCaP cells were subsequently injected subcutaneously and the animals continued on their respective diets for 22 days. (A) Tumor take. The numbers of tumor in each diet group were counted and the data are plotted as tumor take (% of all implantation sites) vs. Time (days). Significance was determined by logistic regression analysis. At all time points where tumors were present, the 2 cohorts differed significantly. P<0.05. n=40/group. (B) Longitudinal volume measurements. Tumors were measured at various time points by calipers starting at first appearance (day 1) and continued until tumor burden required the animals to be sacrificed (day 22). Data are plotted as tumor volume (mm3) per site vs. Time (days) ± SE. n=40/group.
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