Background: Although prostate cancer is one of the most common male cancers, its aetiology-and particularly the role of comorbidity-remains poorly understood.
Patients and methods: Between 1991 and 2002, a case-control study on prostate cancer was conducted in Italy. This included 1294 men under the age of 75 years with incident, histologically confirmed prostate cancer, and 1451 controls, admitted to the same hospitals as cases for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic diseases. The subjects' self-reported history of selected medical conditions was assessed through a structured and satisfactorily reproducible questionnaire. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained after allowance for major potential confounding factors.
Results: A significant direct relation was observed between hypercholesterolaemia and prostate cancer (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.23-1.85). This association was stronger (OR = 1.80) in older subjects (age > or =65) than in younger ones (OR = 1.32). A non-significant excess risk of prostate cancer was also observed for gallstones (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 0.93-1.70) and the relation was apparently stronger in patients with lower body mass index (OR = 1.59).
Conclusions: This study suggests a possible relation between hypercholesterolaemia and prostate cancer.