Previous studies have suggested that statin drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol levels may protect against cancers of the breast, colon, pancreas, esophagus and liver. This may not be true at least in the case of breast cancer as per a new study published in the latest issue of journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
These results are observed after analysis of data from 79,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. "In the present study, the largest to date, no association was observed, even with more than four years of (statin) use," wrote study author Heather Eliassen of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
There were 3,177 incident cases of invasive breast cancer in the 12-year study, including 1,727 in the analysis among statin users. Neither current nor long-term use of statins nor other lipid-lowering drugs were associated with breast cancer risk, the researchers report. There was no association between reported total serum cholesterol levels and breast cancer risk in either pre-menopausal or post-menopausal women.
"In summary, the results of this study suggest that the beneficial effect of statins on breast cancer observed in experimental studies may not be applicable to humans," the authors conclude. "We also found no associations of general lipid-lowering drugs and serum cholesterol levels with breast cancer risk. Further study is warranted to evaluate the associations of longer durations of statin use and specific types of statins with breast cancer risk."
Popular statins include Pfizer Inc.'s Lipitor, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Pravachol and Merck and Co. Inc.'s Zocor. |
