Statins as Anticancer Drugs?

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Statins as Anticancer Drugs?

In an observational study with limitations, statin use by cancer patients was associated with lower 3-year mortality.

In some basic science studies, statins inhibit cancer growth through various pathways. These observations raise the following question: Could statins lower cancer- mortality? Danish researchers used national databases to address this question.

Among nearly 300,000 people who received cancer diagnoses between 1995 and 2007, 6% had used statins regularly before and after their diagnoses. During average follow-up of 3 years (but as long as 15 years in some cases), two thirds of the patients died. In analyses adjusted for several confounding variables, statin use was associated with a significant 15% drop in all-cause and cancer- deaths. Mortality reductions were noted for most cancer types (although differences did not reach statistical significance for every type).

Comment: This observational study suggests that statins might influence tumor growth favorably in patients with cancer. In contrast, a recent meta-analysis of randomized trials showed that statins did not increase or decrease the incidence of cancer (PLoS One 2012; 7:e29849). An editorialist notes that the current analysis could not be controlled for several potentially important confounding factors and recommends caution in interpreting the findings. Until these results are confirmed or refuted by additional research, clinicians will have to decide whether to apply them to cancer patients; at the least, one might argue that patients who already are taking statins (and tolerating them) at the time of cancer diagnosis should continue.

— Allan S. Brett, MD

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine November 8, 2012

Citation(s):

Nielsen SF et al. Statin use and reduced cancer- mortality. N Engl J Med 2012 Nov 8; 367:1792. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1201735)

Medline abstract (Free)

Caporaso NE. Statins and cancer- mortality — Let's work together. N Engl J Med 2012 Nov 8; 367:1848. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMe1210002)

Medline abstract (Free)

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