Cardiac Function and Prostate Cancer Risk and Prognosis: The PROCA-Life Study

Prostate cancer (PCa) risk and the total cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden increases with age. The main objective was to evaluate the interplay between cardiac function and PCa risk and prognosis.

In the population-based cohort Prostate Cancer Study throughout life (PROCA-life), 2514 men participating in the Tromsø Study (1994-2016) had echocardiographic examinations. Overall, 235 were diagnosed with PCa during follow-up. Cox proportional hazard models were used to study associations between prediagnostic cardiac function and PCa risk and mortality.

Mean time from echocardiography to PCa was 9.9 years for men with high risk/metastatic PCa, and the 10-year survival rate was 78.3 % among high risk/metastatic PCa. Men aged > 60.3 years at study entry with mitral peak E deceleration time (DT) < 140 ms or DT > 220 ms had a 1.66-3.37 times higher probability of high risk/metastatic PCa compared with men with normal DT (140-220 ms). Among men who developed PCa, low or high DT was associated with higher overall mortality compared to men with normal DT (HR 3.35, 95% CI, 1.35-8.33 and HR 2.00, 95% CI, 1.28-3.14, respectively). DT > 220 ms was associated with 2 times higher PCa-specific mortality (HR 2.09, 95% CI, 1.11-3.94).

Prediagnostic diastolic dysfunction may be associated with an increased risk of high risk/metastatic PCa, as well as higher overall mortality and PCa-specific mortality. These results support that cardiovascular follow-up among men with PCa is important.