Statin Use May Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer

A recent study from the Center of Health Studies and Group Health Cooperative suggested that long-term use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as Zocor or Lipitor, may help in reducing the risk of breast cancer rather than increasing it as previously suggested. The researchers studied the correlation between breast cancer and statin use in 975 older women diagnosed with breast cancer and another 1007 women without breast cancer. The results showed that there was no increased risk of breast carcinoma among the patients taking statins and further determined that, among the women taking statins for > 5 years, there was a 30% lower risk of breast cancer, compared with those women not taking statins. The investigators felt that their results reassured patients and physicians of the safety of statin use among older women as well as supporting evidence that statins may even protect against breast cancer.