Statin Use May Reduce Risk of Cancer Mortality

There is interesting news for cancer patients who have high-cholesterol today. A new study, coming out of Denmark shows that patients that were diagnosed with cancer after beginning statin use for high-cholesterol, held a lower risk of death from cancer than patients not taking the medications. The study shows that patients who were taking statins at the time of their diagnosis had 15% less risk of dying from the cancer-related causes. Statins, including Lipitor and Crestor, limit the amount of cholesterol in the body, which is needed to excel tumor growth and spread. Without cholesterol the cells cannot multiply. It is suggested that statins include a specific enzyme blocker, which is involved in both the spread and growth of cancerous tumors. In some cases, statins have been shown to stop the spread, or kill, cancerous cells in breast cancer patients. Additionally, they have been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer recurrence by 30%. However, fellow researchers warn that there is no evidence that statin use reduces risk of cancer development and without further research it is unknown what dosages of the drugs are effective in the decreased risk of cancer mortality. Though highly impressed by the intriguing results, these researchers would like to see more evidence of statin use and warn patients that adding statins to a drug regimen will not cut your risk of developing cancer, nor is it a cure-all. Statins are one of the widest prescribed medications in the world. Taking this simple cardiovascular medication regularly may help lower mortality rates linked to a variety of cancers. But keep in mind, even the study’s researchers state that more information must be gathered and specifics must be nailed down, but for now it seems that there is a small chance that statin use can be good for ailments other than cardiovascular problems.   Sources: MedPage Today - http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/OtherCancers/35825 Medical News Today - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/252547.php U.S. World News/HealthDay - http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/11/07/statins-may-cut-risk-of-death-from-cancer-study-suggests