Prostate cancer is considered a disease of older men, but today over 10% of new diagnoses occur in U.S. men ≤ 55 years. Early onset prostate cancer, i.e., diagnosed at ≤55 years, differs from prostate cancer in older men in several ways. Among men diagnosed with high grade and stage prostate cancer, men with early onset prostate cancer are more likely to die of their cancer, with higher cause-specific mortality than all others except those diagnosed over age 80. This suggests that important biological differences may exist in early onset disease compared to late onset disease. Furthermore, early onset prostate cancer has been shown to have a more significant genetic component indicating that this group may benefit more than most from evaluation of genetic risk. Clinically, although the majority of cases ≤ 55 years are diagnosed with low risk disease, their extended life expectancy exposes them to long-term risk of disease progression resulting in death from prostate cancer, but also to prolonged impact from treatment-related morbidities. These patients pose unique challenges and opportunities for both the research and clinical communities. We therefore suggest that early onset prostate cancer is a distinct phenotype, from both an etiologic and clinical perspective, that deserves further attention.

Epidemiologic studies of statin use in relation to prostate cancer risk have been inconclusive. Recent evidence, however, suggests that longer-term use may reduce risk of more advanced disease. The authors conducted a population-based study of 1,001 incident prostate cancer cases diagnosed in 2002-2005 and 942 age-matched controls from King County, Washington, to evaluate risk associated with statin use. Logistic regression was used to generate odds ratios for ever use, current use, and duration of use. No overall association was found between statin use and prostate cancer risk (odds ratio (OR) ¼ 1.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8, 1.2 for current use; OR ¼ 1.1, 95% CI: 0.7, 1.8 for >10 years' use), even for cases with more advanced disease. Risk related to statin use, however, was modified by body mass index (interaction p ¼ 0.04). Obese men (BMI !30 kg/m 2 ) who used statins had an increased risk (OR ¼ 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.2) relative to obese nonusers, with a stronger association for longer-term use (OR ¼ 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 3.0 for !5 years' use). Although statin use was not associated with overall prostate cancer risk, the finding of an increased risk associated with statin use among obese men, particularly use for extended durations, warrants further investigation. case-control studies; hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors; obesity; odds ratio; prostatic neoplasms Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PSA, prostate-specific antigen.Statin drugs are competitive inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, the enzyme that controls conversion of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, an essential precursor of cholesterol (1-3). Statins are used to treat hypercholesterolemia and have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality (4-7). Thus, use of statins has increased exponentially in the United States over the last decade (8).Statin use in relation to prostate cancer etiology is of interest because 1) these drugs inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol, a precursor of androgens that also plays a role in cell signaling pathways (9); 2) mevalonate is necessary for the prenylation of proteins involved in signal transduction cascades downstream of membrane receptors that are crucial in cell growth and apoptosis (10, 11); and 3) in experimental models, statins inhibit cell proliferation, inflammation, oxidative stress, angiogenesis, and metastasis (2,3,11,12).Some studies suggest that statins may alter prostate cancer risk. Randomized clinical trials of statin use to prevent cardiovascular disease reported no associations with prostate cancer incidence (13-15), but such trials were limited by the short durations of use and brief follow-up periods (16,17).

A recent genome-wide association study found that genetic variants on chromosomes 3,6,7,10,11,19 and X were associated with prostate cancer risk. We evaluated the most significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in these loci using a worldwide consortium of 13 groups (PRACTICAL). Blood DNA from 7,370 prostate cancer cases and 5,742 male controls was analyzed by genotyping assays. Odds ratios (OR) associated with each genotype were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Six of the seven SNPs showed clear evidence of association with prostate cancer (P = 0.0007-P = 10 À17

Objective To assess the frequency of cardiovascular and venous thromboembolic events in clinical studies of baricitinib, an oral, selective JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor approved in more than 50 countries for the treatment of moderately‐to‐severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Data were pooled from 9 RA studies. Placebo comparison up to 24 weeks included data from 6 studies. Randomized dose comparison between baricitinib doses of 2 mg and 4 mg used data from 4 studies and from the associated long‐term extension study. The data analysis set designated “All‐bari‐RA” included all baricitinib exposures at any dose. Results Overall, 3,492 RA patients received baricitinib (7,860 patient‐years of exposure). No imbalance compared to the placebo group was seen in the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (incidence rates [IRs] of 0.5 per 100 patient‐years for placebo and 0.8 per 100 patient‐years for 4 mg baricitinib), arterial thrombotic events (ATE) (IRs of 0.5 per 100 patient‐years for placebo and 0.5 per 100 patient‐years for 4 mg baricitinib), or congestive heart failure (CHF) broad term (IRs of 4.3 per 100 patient‐years for placebo and 2.4 per 100 patient‐years for 4 mg baricitinib). Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/pulmonary embolism (PE) were reported in 0 of 1,070 patients treated with placebo and 6 of 997 patients treated with 4 mg baricitinib during the placebo‐controlled period; these events were serious in 2 of 6 patients, while all 6 had risk factors and 1 patient developed DVT/PE after discontinuation of the study drug. In the 2 mg–4 mg‐extended data analysis set, IRs of DVT/PE were comparable between the doses across event types (IRs of 0.5 per 100 patient‐years in those receiving 2 mg baricitinib and 0.6 per 100 patient‐years in those receiving 4 mg baricitinib). In the All‐bari‐RA data analysis set, the rates were stable over time, with an IR of DVT/PE of 0.5 per 100 patient‐years. Conclusion In RA clinical trials, no association was found between baricitinib treatment and the incidence of MACE, ATE, or CHF. With regard to incidence of DVT/PE, 6 events occurred in patients treated with 4 mg baricitinib, but no cases of DVT/PE were reported in the placebo group. During longer‐term evaluation, the incidence of DVT/PE was similar between the baricitinib dose groups, with consistent IR values over time, and this was similar to the rates previously reported in patients with RA.