Use of vitamin K antagonists and risk of prostate cancer: Meta-analysis and nationwide case-control study
Use of vitamin K antagonists and risk of prostate cancer: Meta-analysis and nationwide case-control study
Kristensen et al., 2019 | Int J Cancer | Meta Analysis
Citation
Kristensen Kasper Bruun, Jensen Patricia Hjorslev, ... Pottegård Anton. Use of vitamin K antagonists and risk of prostate cancer: Meta-analysis and nationwide case-control study. Int J Cancer. 2019-Apr-01;144(7):1522-1529. doi:10.1002/ijc.31886
Abstract
Use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) has been suggested to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. We conducted a nested case-control study using Danish demographic and health data registries and summarized existing evidence in a meta-analysis. The case-control study included all Danish men aged 40-85 years with incident histologically verified prostate adenocarcinoma between 2005 and 2015 (cases). For each case, we selected 10 age-matched controls. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for prostate cancer associated with long-term VKA use adjusted for concomitant drug use, medical history and socioeconomic status. Among 38,832 prostate cancer cases, 1,089 (2.8%) had used VKAs for 3 or more years compared to 10,803 (2.8%) controls yielding a crude OR of 1.01 (95% CI, 0.95-1.08). Multivariable adjustment for covariates had limited influence on the association (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.97-1.10). We observed no dose-response relationship (e.g. OR for 5-10 years of use, 1.06 95% CI, 0.97-1.16). We included 8 studies in the meta-analysis reporting effect estimates from 0.51 (95% CI, 0.23-1.13) to 1.10 (95% CI, 0.94-1.40). Using random effect methods, a pooled effect estimate of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.70-1.05) was obtained; however, there was considerable across-study heterogeneity (I2 : 93.9%). In conclusion, we did not observe a reduced risk of prostate cancer associated with VKA use in this nationwide study and, taken together with previous study findings, a major protective effect of VKAs against prostate cancer seems unlikely.
Key Findings
In conclusion, we did not observe a reduced risk of prostate cancer associated with VKA use in this nationwide study and, taken together with previous study findings, a major protective effect of VKAs against prostate cancer seems unlikely.
Outcomes Measured
- Requires manual extraction
Population
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Population | See abstract |
| Sample Size | 8 |
| Age Range | aged 40-85 |
| Condition | See abstract |
MeSH Terms
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Case-Control Studies
- Denmark
- Humans
- Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
- Logistic Models
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Odds Ratio
- Phenprocoumon
- Prostatic Neoplasms
- Registries
- Vitamin K
- Warfarin
Evidence Classification
- Level: Meta Analysis
- Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review
- Vertical: vitamin-k-cancer
Provenance
- PMID: 30246248
- DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31886
- PMCID: Not in PMC
- Verified: 2026-04-09 via PubMed E-utilities API
Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09