Androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality: a meta-analysis of population-based observational studies. By Zhao et al. 2014
Key sentence from the paper: “…our meta-analysis incorporating 6 large-scale observational studies with 295,407 participants showed that ADT was associated with statistically increased [cardiovascular mortality] and a tendency to increase the risk of [cardiovascular disease].”
For the full abstract, see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25264674
Commentary: This is a meta-analysis, which involves a combined analysis of data presented in previously published studies. The compilation of several studies accounts for the huge sample size here (129,802 ADT users, and 165,605 controls). The overall conclusion is that ADT increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. That is neither new nor surprising.
One new and notable detail from this paper is that the cardiovascular risk is primarily due to the LHRH drugs, therefore patients treated solely with an anti-androgen (e.g. bicalutamide) or with surgical castration did not show the same risk. The authors suggest that this may relate to the fact that the heart itself has receptors for LHRH molecules.
Zhao, J., Zhu, S., Sun, L., Meng, F., Zhao, L., Zhao, Y., et al. Androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality: a meta-analysis of population-based observational studies. PLoS One. 2014,9:e107516.