PDE-5 inhibitors tied to prostate cancer biochemical recurrence

(HealthDay)—Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor use after radical prostatectomy is associated with increased risk of biochemical recurrence, according to a study published in the February issue of The Journal of Urology.

Uwe Michl, from University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, and colleagues examined the effect of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors on biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. Data were included for 4,752 consecutive patients with localized prostate cancer treated with bilateral nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. Of these, 23.4 percent received phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors postoperatively. The risk of biochemical recurrence was compared for those who did and did not receive phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. Patients were followed for a median of 60.3 months.

The researchers found that the five-year biochemical recurrence-free survival estimates were 84.7 percent in the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor group and 89.2 percent in the nonphosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor group. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor use was an independent risk factor for biochemical recurrence (hazard ratio, 1.38) in multivariate regression analysis, and the correlation persisted after propensity score matching.

"Contrary to experimental data, the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors after radical prostatectomy may adversely impact biochemical recurrence," the authors write.

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