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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Statins could offset the heart risks of leuprolide, a widely used prostate cancer hormone therapy. A post hoc analysis of the REVELUTION trial found that statin users on leuprolide saw significantly less coronary plaque buildup than non-users. Since cardiovascular disease is the top killer in men with localized prostate cancer, this finding could reshape how clinicians manage cardiac risk during androgen deprivation therapy.
Men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) face a serious but often overlooked threat: cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in this population. The REVELUTION trial previously showed that leuprolide — the most commonly used ADT agent worldwide — accelerates coronary plaque progression, while the newer drug relugolix does not. The catch? Relugolix costs nearly five times more annually, limiting its real-world use.
A new post hoc analysis published in JACC: CardioOncology offers a potential workaround. Among leuprolide-treated patients, those already on statins showed dramatically less coronary plaque growth compared to non-statin users, suggesting statins may blunt leuprolide's atherogenic effects. No significant statin benefit was observed in the relugolix group.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: With relugolix largely out of reach due to cost, statins could be a practical, affordable tool to reduce heart risk in the millions of men on leuprolide — but preventive cardiovascular therapy remains systematically underused in this group.
