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Prostate cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus
S Bernatsky1, R Ramsey-Goldman, C Gordon
1McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada. sasha.bernatsky@mail.mcgill.ca
International Journal of Cancer
|March 31, 2011
Summary
Men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may have a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer compared to the general population. Further research is needed to confirm this finding and explore potential causes.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with complex systemic effects.
- The relationship between SLE and prostate cancer risk is not well understood.
- Potential alterations in hormonal pathways in SLE patients may influence cancer risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the risk of prostate cancer in male patients with SLE.
- To compare prostate cancer incidence in SLE patients to the age-matched general population.
Main Methods:
- A progressive literature review identified four large SLE cohort studies with cancer registry linkage.
- Data from 6,068 male SLE patients (38,186 patient-years) were pooled.
- Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) was calculated comparing observed to expected prostate cancers.
Main Results:
- A total of 80 prostate cancers were observed in the SLE cohort.
- The pooled SIR for prostate cancer in males with SLE was 0.72 (95% CI 0.57, 0.89).
- The observed number of prostate cancers was lower than expected in all contributing studies.
Conclusions:
- Data suggest a potentially decreased risk of prostate cancer in males with SLE.
- Hypogonadism or genetic factors may contribute to lower prostate cancer risk in SLE.
- Additional research in large cohorts is necessary to confirm these findings and elucidate underlying mechanisms.
