NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High-doses of cholesterol-lowering statins that are “lipophilic” - which means that they are soluble in fats - may offer protection against cancer, according to a new study that found a significant reduction in the incidence of cancer by users of these statins.

Examples are lipophilic statins atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor) and fluvastatin (Lescol).

Anti-cancer effects for statins have been proposed, although original reports had actually suggested the potential contrary, pro-carcinogenic effects of statins, “Dr. Louise Pilote, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and colleagues note in American Journal of Medicine. “Despite the massive amounts of data, the question remains inconclusive.”

Pilot The team examined the association between statin use and lipophilic onset of cancer in more than 30000 patients discharged from hospital after treatment for heart attack in the province of Quebec. The team tied the Quebec discharge summary database for drug claims database.

Altogether, 1099 people were hospitalized with a diagnosis of cancer during the follow-up to a maximum of 7 years.

The overall rate of hospitalization for cancer was the equivalent of 13.9 cases per 1000 people per year between high doses of statin users. This compares with a rate of 17.2 and 20.6 cases per 1000 “person-years” between low doses of statin users and non-users, respectively.

High doses of statin users had a 25 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with cancer than people who did not use statins. A low-dose statin users had a 11 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with cancer compared with non-statin users.

“This is the first study to suggest a dose-response effect of statins lipophilic presence on cancer,” Pilot’s team notes. “Future studies should provide further evidence needed to evaluate the long-term effects of statins on the risk of cancer.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, April 2008.

Reuters Health
Thursday, May 15, 2008