Statins - the Holy Grail for cancer? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Incidence of cancer and statin usage���Record linkage study
International Journal of Cancer, 2010
The consumption of statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) has been increasing, and a substantial part of the middle-aged and elderly population use them continuously. Because a large fraction of the population is exposed, even a small excess of risk with respect to cancer should be considered. We carried out a record-linkage study in Finland utilizing nationwide databases of reimbursed statin medication and cancer. The study population included all statin users in Finland who had purchased at least 1 prescription between 1996 and 2005 and who had no cancer diagnosis at the date of first purchase. A control population without statin usage was also included. Data consisted of 472,481 pairs of individuals that cumulated 4.2 million person years with an average of 8.8 years of follow-up. Fifty thousand two hundred ninety-four cancer cases were observed. Simvastatin and atorvastatin were the most used substances. The most frequent cancers were prostate, breast, lung, colon, and rectum cancer. In general, no association between the utilization of statins and cancer could be detected. In conclusion, this study adds large-scale, population-based results about the association between statin utilization and the incidence of cancer. We found neither beneficial nor harmful associations between the usage of statins and cancer.
Real-world Evidence for Preventive Effects of Statins on Cancer Incidence: A Trans-Atlantic Analysis
2021
BackgroundNumerous clinical trials have considered the potential linkages between statins and cancer. Despite some evidence for reduced mortality associated with statin use, the results thus far have been somewhat inconclusive and not easily comparable, thus hampering the emergence of a consensus. We suspect that this uncertainty would be reduced, and greater clarity achieved (e.g. regarding clinical best practices and standards-of-care), were we to have a reliable, causal biomarker that could help identify those individual patients who might benefit from statin use during cancer treatment.Methods and FindingsIn the joint experimental and statistical analysis reported here, we assessed the inhibitory potential of various statins on the expression of a tumor enhancer known as MACC1, taking into account the molecular functions of this key metastasis-associated protein. To assess any effects of statins in cancer prevention (observationally), we also performed a retrospective, two-cente...
Statins and Cancer Prevention—Association Does Not Mean Causation
Cancer Prevention Research
Statins are widely prescribed medications that inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase and therefore reduce cholesterol synthesis. Given the key role of cholesterol in cancer, statins may therefore have anticancer activities. However, clinical studies investigating the association between statin usage and cancer development have been few and inconsistent. A recent study from Maeda-Minami and colleagues found a significant, though modest, decrease in cancer risk among statin users. However, does this finding mean statin usage directly reduces cancer risk or is merely associated with reduced cancer risk? This editorial analyzes Maeda-Minami and colleagues’ study to provide commentary on statin's proposed role in preventing cancer.See related article, p. 37
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2011
The purpose of this study was to determine whether cancer can be attributed to statin use among a general population of older adults in the United States with at least 3 years of follow-up.
Do statins cause cancer? A meta-analysis of large randomized clinical trials
The American Journal of Medicine, 2001
Although the short-term safety and tolerability of statins has been well established, their potential carcinogenicity in the long term is still debated. The goal of this study was to determine whether long-term treatment with statins is associated with an increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cancers. We searched the Medline database between January 1966 and December 1999 for randomized, controlled trials of human subjects in which monotherapy with a statin was compared with placebo. No language restrictions were applied. Only trials with a minimum treatment duration of 4 years and a minimum of 1,000 subjects were included. Studies that did not provide information on fatal or nonfatal cancers were excluded. Data on fatal and nonfatal cancers and all-cause mortality were extracted by a single nonblinded reviewer. Overall crude estimates of risk difference were computed by summing the numerators and denominators of trial-specific risk estimates. Five trials met the inclusion criteria. The estimated differences in absolute risk between treatment and placebo were as follows (negative risks indicate that treatment was safer than placebo): all nonfatal cancers, 0.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.8% to 0.8%); all fatal cancers, -0.1% (95% CI: -0.7% to 0.4%); all fatal and nonfatal cancers combined, -0.1% (95% CI: -1.0% to 0.7%); and all-cause mortality, -1.5% (95% CI: 2.8% to 0.2%). This study demonstrates no association between statin use over a 5-year period and the risk of fatal and nonfatal cancers. This conclusion is limited by the relatively short follow-up of the studies analyzed. Similar analyses of data from studies with longer follow-up periods would be valuable.
Współczesna Onkologia, 2014
Statins (inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase) are a group of drugs used to treat lipid disorders. They inhibit cholesterol synthesis at an early stage of the biosynthesis pathway, thus eliminating numerous metabolites involved in the cycle. Numerous studies point to different possible effects of statins on cancer cells. Statins inhibit growth of a tumor, invasion and metastasis formation. They block the production of isoprenoids, which are necessary for post-translational modifications of many proteins, including those involved in normal cell signaling. They also contribute to the reduction in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, sensitize tumor cells to NK cell activity, and modify the body inflammatory response. Due to different pharmacokinetic properties of individual statins, they may have opposite effects on the risk of cancer. Currently, most information on the effects of statins on the risk of developing cancer is obtained from observational studies. The studies have different results depending on the location of cancer. The protective effect of statins was observed in the meta-analysis of numerous studies including prostate cancer, stomach cancer, esophagus cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; however, it has not yet been confirmed that statins influence the risk of developing colorectal cancer, breast cancer, or lung cancer. The protective effect of statins on the development of many kinds of cancer can be a valuable and easy way to reduce morbidity. However, further research is necessary to thoroughly determine the value of this group of drugs.
Inverse Association between Statin Use and Cancer Mortality Relates to Cholesterol Level
Cancers
Statins have been associated with a decreased cancer mortality. However, cholesterol level as such may modify the risk of cancer death. To clarify the complex interplay between statins, cholesterol level, and cancer mortality, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to separate the effects of cholesterol level and statin medication on cancer mortality. Our study population consisted of 16,924 men participating in the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer with at least one cholesterol measurement during follow-up (1996–2017). Cox proportional regression was used to estimate hazard ratios. In total, 1699 cancer deaths were observed during the median follow-up of 19 years. When statins’ association with the risk of cancer death was estimated without adjustment for cholesterol level, statin use was associated with a lowered cancer mortality (HR 0.87; 95% CI 0.79–0.97) compared to non-users. However, with further adjustment for total cholesterol level, statin use was no...