Statins Linked to Lower Prostate Cancer Risk
The use of cholesterol-lowering drugs called “statins,” which include drugs such as Lipitor and Pravachol, may cut the risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Recent reports have tied statin use to a reduced risk of various malignancies. However, only one study looked specifically at the association with prostate cancer and it found a statistically insignificant increase in risk with statin use.
In the present study, Dr. Jackilen Shannon, from Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, and colleagues compared statin use in100 prostate cancer patients referred for biopsy and 202 men without prostate cancer but who shared characteristics with the patients. Data on statin use was obtained from an electronic pharmacy database.
Thirty-six percent of cancer patients and 49 percent of controls were statin users, the authors note. After accounting for other potential risk factors, statin use was tied to a 62-percent reduction in prostate cancer risk.
Source: Reuters.
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