Statins and Cancer Risk

Author: Heather Hajek

Do you have high cholesterol and take a drug referred to as a statin? In recent years, there have been several reports released stating statins may lead to health problems, such as cancer. However, recently it was determined that patients' risks of getting cancer was no greater when taking statins, to lower their LDL levels, than they were at risk without the drugs.

The drug class most often referred to as statins, are most effectively used to treat patients with high LDL, bad cholesterol levels, but may also be used to lower blood fats or raise HDL, the good cholesterol levels. Statins are very effective in reducing heart attack and stroke risks, and is the top selling drug in the world. They work by preventing the intestines from absorbing cholesterol, a substance carried in blood particles called lipoproteins found all through the body. Excessive cholesterol can completely block the coronary artery and cause a heart attack. Statins can be found in several medications, such as Advicor® Caduet®, and Vytorin, and the statin drugs that are currently available in the United States are:

• Lipitor
• Lescol
• Mevacor®
• Pravachol®
• Crestor®
• Zocor

Research was recently reported online in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Richard Karas, M.D., Ph.D., with Tufts University and colleagues, conducted the research to determine whether statins lead to cancer. The study involved 51,797 patients who were given statins and over 45,000 patients who were given a placebo, known as the control group. The groups were involved in 15 randomly controlled meta-analysis statin trials, over a four and a half year time frame. The researchers found that patients with the lowest levels of LDL had the greatest risks for cancer. However, those whose LDL levels were lowered through statin drugs had no greater risks of developing cancer than those who had lower LDL levels naturally.

Dr. Karas said, "Despite their LDL, lowering effects, statins don't cause cancer." He said, "When you look at all of the statin trials together what they show is there is no overall effect on cancer, either increasing it or decreasing it," even though during the trial some of the studies did show a cancer risk when using statins, overall on average there was no risk of cancer.