Association of serum lipid profile with prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness in Nigerian men

Abstract OBJECTIVE Though prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer and cause of cancer death among Nigerian men, its relationship with serum lipid profiles, a biochemical measurement of dietary fat, has not been explored among Nigerian men. The study aimed to determine the association of serum lipid profile with prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness. METHODS The study was a case-control conducted at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. The cases were newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients ages 50-75 years, while the controls were age-matched healthy men with confirmed normal PSA. Participants with uncontrolled comorbidities, poor performance status (ECOG ≥3), and weight loss in the past month were not eligible. The patient characteristics (age, marital status, employment status, highest level of education, high-fat diet, lack of exercise, tobacco smoking, alcohol intake, family history of prostate cancer, comorbidities, and tumor characteristics [PSA at presentation, histology, Gleason score, and stage at presentation] in the cases alone) were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A serum lipid profile test (including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was done in all participants. Analysis of the variables was on SPSS version 23.0, with a t-test to compare the serum lipid profile between the case and control groups, a chi-square to compare the sociodemographic and patient characteristics between both groups and an ANOVA test to determine the association between serum lipid profile and Gleason's score (disease grade) or stage of prostate cancer. RESULTS Enrolled in each group were seventy-four participants. The mean age ± standard deviation was 65.0 ± 5.9 years for cases and 63.0 ± 6.5 years for controls. Participants with a high-fat diet (p = 0.006), physical inactivity (p = 0.046), alcohol consumption (p = 0.005), and family history (p = 0.002) were significantly higher in the case group than the controls. A high proportion of the cases had high-grade disease (GS ≥ 8) [39.2%] and stage 4 disease (35.2%). The mean levels of TC (p<0.001) and HDL-C (p<0.001) were significantly higher in the cases. The mean TG increased while HDL-C decreased as the disease stage advanced but with no statistical significance. While the mean TC (p = 0.001) increased significantly with worsening prostate cancer grade, the mean HDL-C was highest in low-grade disease (p <0.001). CONCLUSION Elevated total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with increased prostate cancer risk. While elevated total cholesterol was associated with high-grade prostate cancer, a high level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with the low-grade disease. Hence, regular serum lipid profile tests may be encouraged among Nigerian men for early detection and treatment of any cholesterol derangement to avoid its predisposition to prostate cancer. Citation Format: Kehinde Oluwatosin Adeyinka, Adeniyi Adenipekun, Atara Ntekim, Augustine Oghenewveyin Takure, Rotimi Solomon. Association of serum lipid profile with prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness in Nigerian men [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr C087.