Cytokines released by Clostridium difficile "crucial" to prevent and manage prostate cancer

Clostridium difficile is a common hospital-acquired infection. It is associated with the release of various cytokines.

It is known that PC is the second most common cancer in men. C. difficile releases proinflammatory cytokines like interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8, IL-16, and IL-17A, and regulatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-10, IL-23, and IL-48. The cytokines released may reduce PC development.

There is a possibility that anti-inflammatory and tumoricidal cytokines released by C.difficile infection decrease PC risk.

Considering this background, researchers investigated this relationship using PearlDiver national database. The patients with/without a history of infection were evaluated for PC incidence using the International Classification of Disease Ninth and Tenth Revision codes.

The study summary includes the following:

· 79,226 patients in infected and control groups were matched by age and CCI.

· 1827 patients in C. difficile group and 5565 in the control group had PC constituting 2.56 % and 7.79 %, respectively.

· Subsequent matching by antibiotic treatment resulted in two groups of 16,772 patients. PC incidence in the C.difficile group and control group was 1.62% and 3.95%.

To conclude, C. difficile infection reduces PC incidence. Further investigations are required to explore cytokines role released by C. difficile PC prevention and management.

Further reading:

Frankel L R et al. Clostridium difficile Infection Is Associated With Decreased Prostate Cancer Risk: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Cureus 15(1): e34398. doi:10.7759/cureus.34398