New Evidence Links Arthritis to Increased Prostate Cancer Risk

Arthritis was identified as a risk factor for prostate cancer by a recent study published in Investigative and Clinical Urology, offering new avenues for prevention and treatment strategies.1

Prostate cancer accounts for nearly 29% of all male adult malignancies, with 288,300 new cases reported in the US last year.2 Despite its prevalence, the exact disease mechanisms remain unclear, and effective prevention and treatment methods continue to be explored.

Although prior studies have suggested an association between arthritis and an increased risk of prostate cancer, the researchers explained that the overall findings have been mixed. Therefore, they noted that the nature of this association remains debated.

New research links arthritis to an increased risk of prostate cancer, highlighting the need for further studies on prevention and treatment strategies. | Image Credit: ActionGP - stock.adobe.com

To further explore the link, the researchers conducted association and risk stratification analyses using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), spanning 2005 to 2018, across 3 models: unadjusted, minimally adjusted, and fully adjusted.

They also performed a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using 5 statistical methods, followed by sensitivity analyses and the Steiger directionality test to confirm the robustness of the results.

The study population included 23,608 eligible participants, comprising 413 patients with prostate cancer and 23,195 controls. Among these, 5990 (25.8%) individuals in the control group and 219 (53%) in the prostate cancer group were diagnosed with arthritis.

The correlation analyses across all models consistently demonstrated a significant association between arthritis and prostate cancer (OR > 1; P < .001). This indicated that the observed relationship remained robust regardless of covariate adjustments, supporting arthritis as an independent risk factor for prostate cancer.

Subsequent stratified analysis of the fully adjusted model showed that covariates with a P value less than 0.05 impacted prostate cancer prognosis. Consequently, arthritis (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.36-2.62; P < .001) and race, particularly among non-Hispanic Black patients (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 2.05-5.25; P < .001), had a significant effect on prostate cancer prognosis.

The receiver operating characteristic curve based on this model further supported arthritis as a strong diagnostic indicator for prostate cancer (area under the curve, 0.94). The researchers also noted that as the risk of arthritis increased, the incidence of prostate cancer rose gradually.

Additionally, an MR analysis using the inverse variance weighting method revealed a causal relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (OR, 1.090; 95% CI, 1.053-1.128; P < .001) and osteoarthritis (OR, 1.002; 95% CI, 1.001-1.004; P = .002) with prostate cancer. Sensitivity analyses, including tests for heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, leave-one-out, and the Steiger test, supported the robustness and reliability of these results. Therefore, these findings further validate rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis as causal risk factors for prostate cancer.

Lastly, the researchers acknowledged their study’s limitations, including that their results may not be generalizable to populations not represented within the NHANES database. Nonetheless, they expressed confidence in their findings and identified areas for further research.

“NHANES database and two-sample MR analyses identified arthritis as a risk factor for PCa [prostate cancer], offering fresh avenues for preventive and therapeutic approaches,” the authors concluded. “This finding [needs] to be verified in further prospective cohort studies with a large sample size.”

References

1. Yuan X, Shi R, Jing Q, Cao X, Zhang X. Arthritis increases the risk of prostate cancer: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2018 and two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Investig Clin Urol. 2025;66(3):215-226. doi:10.4111/icu.20240313
2. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Wagle NS, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2023. CA Cancer J Clin. 2023;73(1):17-48. doi:10.3322/caac.21763