Blood fat levels and their role in men undergoing prostate surgery

The authors aimed to determine how pre-operative blood fat levels affect the outcome in men with localized prostate cancer undergoing prostate surgery. 

The authors conclude that blood fats can cause adverse effects and act as an independent outcome predictor in men with prostate cancer following surgery. 

Men with localized prostate cancer have cancer that is confined to the prostate gland, commonly treated with prostate surgery. This involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland. Some research has suggested a link between blood fat levels before surgery and the risk of prostate cancer re-occurrence. Blood fat levels consists of the good fats (take bad fats out of the body, such as HDL cholesterol) and bad fats (carries fat to the tissues and arteries such as LDL cholesterol). 

Further research is needed to determine if there is any link between blood fat levels and prostate cancer risk in men considering prostate cancer surgery.

The aim of this study was to determine if there was a link between blood fat levels before surgery and prostate cancer risk in men undergoing prostate surgery. 

371 men before surgery were studied with a follow-up of 28 months. 29.2% had cancer which had spread outside the prostate. 21.4% had high-risk cancer (advanced beyond the prostate, more agressive cancer cells). 6.7% had cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes (sites containing cells that fight infection).

Prostate cancer recurrence (based on blood tests) occurred in 15.4% of patients after an average of 18 months. Low preoperative LDL cholesterol levels were associated with shorter time to disease recurrence compared to high LDL cholesterol levels. Other types of blood fats were not associated with prostate cancer risk.

The authors conclude that blood fats can cause adverse effects and act as an independent outcome predictor in men with prostate cancer following surgery. 

As this is the first prospective study used to determine the link between blood fat levels and prostate cancer risk in men before prostate cancer surgery, further research is needed to support these results.