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.

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