Statin Drugs Linked to Reduced Cancer Risk
5/29/2005 Orlando, FL Charlene Laino WebMD Health New research shows that the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may slash a person's chance of developing breast, prostate, and lung tumors in half. Evidence continues to mount that cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins can reduce the risk of a variety of cancers. New research shows that the popular statin drugs may slash a person's chance of developing breast, prostate, and lung tumors in half. Three new studies show that "statins prevent healthy cells from transforming into cancerous cells," says researcher Ruby Kochhar, MD, a medical oncologist at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. "There was a protective effect in every type of cancer studied." The new studies were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Statins are one of the most widely prescribed drugs used in the U.S. to treat high cholesterol. They include medications such as Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, and Zocor and work by blocking the body's ability to produce cholesterol. Statins Reduce Breast, Lung, Prostate Risk In the studies presented, researchers collected health information on more than 1.4 million men and women from the Veterans Administration. The studies all took into account risk factors for the type of cancer being studied, including age, smoking, and alcohol use. For the breast cancer analysis, they compared statin use among 556 female veterans diagnosed with breast cancer and 39,865 women of similar ages without the disease. They show that statin use was associated with half the [...]