Cholesterol-lowering drugs no help in fighting cancer: review
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 3, 2006 | 4:58 PM ET
CBC News
Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
Researchers in the U.S. analyzed the results of 26 studies involving more than 73,000 people taking the statins such as simivastatin (Zocor) and pravachol (pravastatin).
- INDEPTH: Statins
"In our current meta-analysis, statins did not reduce the incidence of cancer or cancer death," the authors report in the Jan. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Statins are a best-selling type of drug.
"No reductions were noted for cancers of the breast, colon, gastrointestinal tract, prostate, respiratory tract, or skin (melanoma) when statins were used."
It was thought statins might cut cancer risks by reducing inflammation or blocking how some cancer-causing genes work.
Previous research on animals and observational studies on humans suggested statins may help prevent certain cancers, but participants weren't randomly assigned to receive statins or a placebo.
Dr. Stephen Gruber of the University of Michigan and his colleagues studied randomized, placebo-controlled studies, which give the highest quality evidence for judging medical research. One weakness of the review is the studies did not all give the same details of the cancer history of patients.
Given the findings of the review and the potential side effects of statins, such as liver damage and muscle pain, the study's authors do not recommend prescribing statins to prevent cancer. They said it's not worth spending more time and money on the studies of cancer and statins.
"[I]t remains premature to conclude that a large chemoprevention trial with statins that is aimed at reducing colorectal cancer risk is warranted," agreed John McLaughlin of the Prosserman Centre for Health Research in Toronto in an editorial accompanying a related review of cholesterol lowering-drugs in general.
People taking statins to lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks should continue to do so, said study author Michael White of the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy.
Watching diet and getting some exercise remain drug-free ways of lowering cholesterol.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Refugee reforms include fingerprints, no appeals for some
- New, tougher reforms to refugee legislation that hasn't yet come into force are already drawing fire from critics who say they give Canada's immigration minister too much power and risk the lives of claimants. more »
- Underwear bomber sentenced to life in prison
- A Nigerian man who tried to blow up an international flight near Detroit on behalf of al-Qaida has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. more »
- 7 MPs and their fiery quotes
- The election of a majority government was seen by some as a chance for less acrimonious politics on Parliament Hill. But the past week has seen its fair share of inflammatory rhetoric on both sides of the House. more »
- Bully victim's mother tells of 'suicide box'
- A mother who hired a bodyguard to protect her bullied daughter says the girl had prepared a "suicide box" in case the violence became unbearable. more »
Latest Health News Headlines
- Alcohol problem hits parents of 1 in 10 U.S. kids
- About 7.5 million children in the U.S. live with a parent who has struggled with alcohol in the past year, a report finds. more »
- B.C. Botox injections spark health investigations
- Federal and provinical health authorities say they will take action after CBC News revealed two Vancouver-area clinics were offering Botox injections that would be administered by people not licensed to carry out the procedure. more »
- Dandelion tea touted as possible cancer killer
- Researchers hope to test dandelion tea on patients at a Windsor, Ont., clinic after it was found the roots killed cancer cells in the laboratory. more »
- Toxin cleanser MMS warning issued in Canada
- The supplement MMS, which claims to cleanse the body of toxins, may cause serious health problems, Health Canada warns despite the distributor's defence of the product. more »
FEATURED HEALTH
- Dog kills newborn in Alberta community
- Montreal telemarketers in fraud case still making calls
- Refugee reforms include fingerprints, no appeals for some
- Bully victim's mother tells of 'suicide box'
- Honduras prison fire is world's deadliest
- Degrassi's Wheels death announced, 5 years later
- Nortel collapse linked to Chinese hackers
- 2 small earthquakes rattle Vancouver Island
- Barefoot girl's icy trek not blamed on babysitter
