- Statins can reduce the risk of more than 20 types of cancer, including breast and prostate cancer, with reductions between 38% and 66%.
- The study used data from UK Biobank, looking at almost 400,000 patients over 12.8 years.
- Experts want more research to prove the causal effect of statins on cancer prevention.
The practice LEADERS Lipid-lowering drugs were also associated with a 70% lower risk of dying from cancer over time compared to non-users, they write Daily Mail.
Researchers from Shandong University Hospital and other centers in China said: “Lipid-lowering drugs may have an effect on cancer by reducing chronic inflammation, which is crucial in the development of many cancers.” “
Around eight million adults in the UK take lipid-lowering medicines such as statins. First used in the UK in the 1980s, statins reduce fatty deposits in the arteries and have been a game changer in the fight against cardiovascular disease.
Previous studies on statins and individual cancers have been controversial, with some showing positive effects and others showing negative effects.
The new study is observational, and although the team showed links between statins and a reduced risk of cancer, it was not designed to determine whether the drug was responsible for the reduction.
Jayant Vaidya, professor of surgery and oncology at University College London, said: “More research is needed. The lower risk found was independent of duration of statin use, so the association may not be causal.
“Nevertheless, the cardiovascular benefits are reason enough to consider their combined use between physician and patient. “
2024-09-22 17:01:37
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