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Cholesterol and PCa

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Posted 2/14/2015 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
I hear that high cholesterol promotes prostate cancer growth. Dr Myers says that it helps the cancer cells create testosterone, and thus grow the cancer. He says we should keep our LDL level below 100. And I think I heard him say that Crestor is the only statin to take while on Zytiga. I am on Crestor. My local oncologist has not mentioned anything to me about cholesterol. So, what does this board know about cholesterol and PCa?
Posted 2/14/2015 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
You can read about the relationship of Cholesterol and Estradiol (estrogen) as well as testosterone here. The molecular diagrams show the similarity and relationship. The text also describes the action.

https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/cell-communication-9/signaling-molecules-and-cellular-receptors-83/signaling-molecules-382-11608/
Posted 2/14/2015 8:51 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on statins for most of my life and have kept my cholesterol under tight control.

I still got PC.

Didn't work for me.

Andrew
Posted 2/14/2015 9:00 PM (GMT 0)
The point Myers mentions is that cholesterol is the precursor molecule for testosterone. When T is unavailable then the tumor may be able to make T from Cholesterol. This is sufficient to fuel tumor growth. He is particularly concerned with small particle LDL. I cannot say why that specific element is of concern. If he wants to cut off all access to T or T precursors then Cholesterol is a target
Posted 2/14/2015 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
Is Myers alone in his thinking on this or do other doctors agree? I, too, have been on statins for years and it sure didn't prevent prostate cancer. Anyway, it seems all these treatments make us more susceptible to heart problems, so I'm fighting my cholesterol.
Posted 2/14/2015 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
Faust, I think it's more like Tar said, the Cancer cell learns how to make its own testosterone using cholesterol. When I first read about it, it reminded of a line in Jurasic Park, "Life will always find away."

Cheers, Doug
Posted 2/15/2015 5:19 AM (GMT 0)
Is it possible that those of us who had bad cholesterol numbers also had dubious diets/lifestyles and by taking the statins and lowering the numbers we didn't change the lifestyle patterns that were causing the bad cholesterol and therefore we still got the cancer?
One of the things that intrigues me since being diagnosed that my supervising Dr will ONLY blood test me for PSA. It seems to me that all the other readings one normally gets from the routine lab reports should be at least of some interest. Perhaps I am the only one who thinks so?
Posted 2/15/2015 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
I believe that Myers is discussing the issue of AI (androgen independent) cells seeking fuel for cell division when he discusses cholesterol. AI cells become a majority of prostate cells when the other androgen dependent cells are killed using hormone therapy.
Posted 2/15/2015 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
I seem to be in the group that tends to high cholesterol as a virtue of my genetics. Dietary changes had little or no effect on my cholesterol numbers. I've been on statins for years also, and still wound up with PCa...also likely due to my gene pool.

In the end, there is likely no one cause for PC, and no one factor that we could change to prevent it. Cancer, in my view, is one of the curses of modern life. Whether it's from diet, general environment, the stress of modern life, or other factors, we may never be able to isolate it like that.
Posted 2/15/2015 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
Halbert, Cancer has been around forever and was named in around 1750 BC. What has changed in the modern era is life expectancy. We are now living long enough to detect PCA and treat it to some degree.

Cheers, Doug
Posted 2/15/2015 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
I think the point that Tar was trying to make is that Meyer's promotes the idea that statins reduces "food" for the cancer after the T is depleted, because the cells "learn" to like a new food, cholesterol. Therefore, wouldn't prevent PCa, because it originally "fed" on T. Interesting idea. Gary has really high cholesterol not due to lifestyle factors, but genetics. His onc poopoos statins, but his Mets have been greatly reduced and his psa is still sky high. Hmmm.
Posted 2/15/2015 8:11 PM (GMT 0)
Doug, I know about the descriptions of cancer thousands of years ago. My daughter (who did cancer research in grad school) once explained why there is so little breast cancer in west africa this way: If a woman lives long enough to survive childhood, then avoid aids, cholera, malaria, childbirth, and everything else and reaches the age of 50, then she's got just as much a chance of finding a lump as a 50 yr old american woman. Thing is, there aren't that many 50 year old women in her village.

If we live long enough, we'll all get it. Probably the ultimate determiner of life expectancy, and always has been.

Still, the cholesterol link is interesting, and certainly an avenue for more research. That's what I love about science...there is always more to learn.
Posted 2/15/2015 8:26 PM (GMT 0)
Yes Halbert it is, and with my stats I'm particularly interested!

Cheers, Doug
Posted 2/16/2015 5:33 AM (GMT 0)
I have heard the statins are particularly helpful in staving off BCR, which makes sense reference what has been posted in this thread. Less of a load after primary tx, hence…… i take 40mg lipitor daily, probably 30, cause I skip days a lot. I want to invent dispenser that all drug makers will use, so I don't spill so many on the floor every morning. I think Mr Wonderful in the Shark Tank will invest. Oh 148 LDL 80. Just did the blood work, minus psa. eat pretty much everything I want, but mostly for fuel. I don't overeat. Lots of antioxidants.
Posted 2/16/2015 7:53 PM (GMT 0)

tarhoosier said...
The point Myers mentions is that cholesterol is the precursor molecule for testosterone. When T is unavailable then the tumor may be able to make T from Cholesterol. This is sufficient to fuel tumor growth. He is particularly concerned with small particle LDL. I cannot say why that specific element is of concern. If he wants to cut off all access to T or T precursors then Cholesterol is a target

Then, if T is in a normal range, cholesterol should have nothing to do with promoting PC, right? Because, there would be no need for PC to make some T from cholesterol if there was already plenty of T available. So if it is a factor, sounds like it would only be so for those on androgen ablation therapy.

Then there is that entire separate debate about while extremely low to zero T helps fight PC, normal or even very high(supersaturation) levels do not cause it and might even help fight it. I'll be glad when I read some definitive studies on that subject.
Posted 2/16/2015 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
Snuffy's goal with Crestor (along with Avodart) is to keep DHT low, because it's "100 times" more potent than T for cancer food.
Posted 2/16/2015 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting subject as I am to start statins tomorrow (simvastin I think).
Posted 2/17/2015 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
Ronnie, It looks like your treatment is working. Just fyi, my understand of Myers' treatment is statin with Metformin is a key, not statin alone. And Crestor is the most effective statin. Too bad because there is no generic for it....
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