A Western-Type Diet Accelerates Tumor Progression in an Autochthonous Mouse Model of Prostate Cancer

Epidemiological studies have provided evidence suggesting an important role for diet and obesity in the development of cancer Specifically lipid nutrients of the diet have been identified as important regulators of tumor development and progression In the present study we have examined the role of dietary fat and cholesterol in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer using the well characterized TRAMP mouse model Consumption of a Western type diet that is enriched in both fat and cholesterol accelerated prostate tumor incidence and tumor bur den compared to mice fed a control chow diet Furthermore, we also show that this diet increased the extent and the histological grade of prostate tumors These findings were confirmed by the presence of increased levels of protein markers of advanced tumors m prostates obtained from animals fed a West ern type diet compared to those obtained from con trol animals Increased lung metastases in animals fed a Western type diet were also observed In addition we found that with a Western diet animals bearing tumors presented with reduced plasma cholesterol levels corn pared with animals fed a control diet. Finally we show that tumors obtained from animals fed a Western type diet displayed increased expression of the high-density lipoprotein receptor SR BI and increased angiogenesis Taken together our data suggest that dietary fat and cholesterol play an important role in the development of prostate cancer (Am J Pathol 2010 177 3180-3191 DOI 10 2353/ajpath 2010 100568)