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Higher levels of melatonin may reduce risk for advanced prostate cancer
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Higher levels of the hormone melatonin, which plays a key role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, may have a protective effect against the onset of advanced prostate cancer, according to study results presented at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research.
Researchers evaluated 928 Icelandic men from the AGES-Reykjavik cohort and screened pre-diagnostic, baseline urine samples for concentrations of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, the main breakdown product of melatonin. A baseline questionnaire gleaned information on sleep patterns and covariates.
The investigators determined prostate cancer diagnoses and mortality by linking the cohort to the nationwide Icelandic Cancer Registry and the Causes of Death registry through 2009.
Researchers used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the relationship between 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels and prostate cancer risk, adjusting for possible confounding factors.
Of the 111 men diagnosed with incident prostate cancer, 24 had advanced disease. Those who reported difficulty sleeping at baseline exhibited lower 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels than those reported no sleep problems.
Patients with 6-sulfatoxymelatonin concentrations higher than the median (HR=0.69; 95% CI, 0.44-1.08) demonstrated a borderline statistically significant decreased risk for prostate cancer.
In addition, men with higher 6-sulfatoxymelatonin concentrations demonstrated a 75% reduced risk for advanced disease than men with lower levels (HR=0.25; 95% CI, 0.08-0.8).
Sarah C. Markt
Sleep disruption and low levels of melatonin may play a role in various disease processes, according to researcher Sarah C. Markt, MPH, doctoral candidate in the department of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.
“Sleep loss and other factors can influence the amount of melatonin secretion or block it altogether, and health problems associated with low melatonin, disrupted sleep and/or disruption of the circadian rhythm are broad, including a potential risk factor for cancer,” Markt said in a press release. “Because melatonin levels are potentially modifiable, further studies of melatonin and prostate cancer risk and progression are warranted.”
For more information:
Markt S. Abstract #270322_1. Presented at: AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research; Jan. 18-21, 2014; San Diego.