Heart disease may be linked to prostate cancer

Irish Sun (IANS) Thursday 9th February, 2012

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and prostate cancer, two seemingly unrelated conditions, may actually share similar causes, according to the findings of a drug trial.

CAD kills more adults in the US than any other cause, accounting for one in four deaths. Risk factors include inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and diabetes.

If confirmed that heart disease is tied to prostate cancer, the malignancy might be combated in part by lifestyle changes such as weight loss, exercise and a healthy diet, which are known to prevent heart disease, the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers Prevention reported.

"What's good for the heart may be good for the prostate," said Jean-Alfred Thomas II, post-doctoral fellow in urology at the Duke University Medical Centre, who led the study, according to a university statement.

The Duke team used data from 6,390 men enrolled in a large study called REDUCE, a four-year, randomized trial to test the prostate cancer risk reduction benefits of a drug called dutasteride.

All the participants had a prostate biopsy at the two and four-year marks. They also provided a detailed medical history that included their weight, incidence of heart disease, alcohol intake, medication use and other factors.

Having CAD increased the men's risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent, with the risk rising over time.