In a nutshell
This study investigated whether breast cancer patients who were exposed to statins had better survival prospects. There was little evidence that statins improved survival rates in breast cancer patients.
Some background
Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to patients to prevent heart disease. There are two types of statins: lipophilic statins (these work by combining with fats in the body), and hydrophilic statins (these work by combining with water in the body). There is some evidence that statins also have anti-cancer effects by preventing cancer cells from increasing and spreading, and by causing cancer cell death. The evidence suggests that the anti-cancer effects are stronger for lipophilic statins, in particular a statin called simvastatin (Zocor).
There is evidence that estrogen-receptor-negative (ER-, not dependent on estrogen for growth) cancers show a reduced rate of spread of cancer cells when statins are used, indicating that they were more sensitive to the protective effects of statins.
Whether statins delay cancer progression is unclear.
Methods & findings
This study included 15,140 newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2009 to 2012. The patients taking statins before and after breast-cancer diagnosis were monitored.
There was no evidence of any association between statin use and breast-cancer specific survival. There were no significant associations when different doses were looked at. There was little difference between patients taking lipophilic statins and hydrophilic statins. There was a weak connection noted between simvastatin use and a reduction in breast-cancer deaths compared to patients not taking statins (an 11% decrease in risk of death), but this was not statistically significant.
For patients treated with statins before being diagnosed with breast cancer, there was a weak association with breast-cancer related deaths (a 15% decrease in risk of death). There was no association between the hormone receptor type or cancer stage and statin use.
The bottom line
The study concluded that there was little evidence that statins improved survival rates from breast cancer.
The fine print
There was no information on whether the patients took their medication as prescribed.
What’s next?
Published By :
BMC cancer
Date :
Aug 06, 2016
