The association between hypertension and prostate cancer

A 2016 meta-analysis documented a possible association between hypertension and prostate cancer. We retrospectively reviewed our 3200 prostate cancer patients that were aged 51 to 76 years to determine the frequency of hypertension. Data was gathered on age, race (African American and white), hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index (BMI). Patients were subdivided into three groups: age 51 to 60 years, age 61 to 70 years, and age 71 to 76 years. Our study population consisted of 1388 (43%) African American patients and 1812 (57%) white patients. Hypertension was found in 1013 (73%) of African American patients and 1290 (72%) of white patients. Diabetes was found in 35% of African American patients and 24% of white patients. BMI over 30 kg/m² (obesity) was found in 47% of African American patients and 45% of white patients. We found the frequency of hypertension to be 73% in African American and 72% in white patients, 18% and 44% relatively higher in African American vs white patients, respectively, compared with the general population (62% in African American vs 50% in white patients). The study also found a similar frequency of hypertension among African American and white prostate cancer patients, despite an approximate 12% difference in the general population. Based on these findings, we suggest that prostate cancer and hypertension share a common androgen-mediated mechanism and further prospective studies are recommended to confirm that hypertension is a risk factor for prostate cancer.