Statins appear to lessen chance of developing breast cancer

According to a new study women who are taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, such as Lipitor or Mevacor, appear to have much less chance of developing breast cancer.

In a study of U.S. female veterans, Dr. Vikas Khurana from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport and colleagues, compared statin use among 548 women with a history of breast cancer and almost 40,000 women without breast cancer. The average age of the women was 58 years and a total of 4,771 (12 percent), were using statins.

The researchers found that after taking into consideration age, tobacco and alcohol use, and diabetes the analysis showed that statin use was associated with a 51 percent reduced risk of breast cancer.

The study is further proof that statins have chemopreventive potential, and raises the question of whether everyone should be given statins, says Dr. Robert J Mayer from Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who moderated the briefing.

Khurana says at present that is not appropriate but he says the study suggests a future trial could answer that question.

Currently, says Khurana there is some data that suggests that patients with lipid abnormalities and at high risk for cancer might be preferably put on a statin as compared to other lipid-lower agents, for its presumed cancer prevention action.

Khurana reported at a press briefing on advances in cancer prevention at the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.