Low cholesterol levels are associated with an inreased risk of Hodgkin's disease

This study was published in Cancer 1992 Feb 15;69(4):1042-6

Study title and authors:
The prognostic significance of total serum cholesterol in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Muller CP, Trilling B, Steinke B.
Medizinische Universitätsklinik II, Tübingen, Germany.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1735071

The study investigated the prognostic significance of cholesterol levels at the time of diagnosis in patients with Hodgkin's disease. The study included 179 subjects and age- and sex-matched controls.

The study found:
(a) Cholesterol levels were significantly lower in Hodgkin's patients than in age- and sex-matched controls.
(b) Subgroups of Hodgkin's patients with advanced stages, poor response to therapy, and relapse after complete response had lower cholesterol levels.
(c) The 5-year survival rate was 2.5 times higher in patients with cholesterol levels above 140 mg/dL (3.6 mmol/L) than in patients with cholesterol levels below 140 mg/dL (3.6 mmol/L).

The results of the study reveal that low cholesterol levels are associated with an inreased risk of Hodgkin's disease and an higher risk of death in patients with Hodgkin's disease.