The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7252 p785
7 June 2003

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Meeting summaries  7 June

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Statins have role in cancer prevention

Results from a Dutch population study suggest that statins may have a role in cancer prevention and add to mounting evidence that this class of drugs may reduce cancer risk.

The study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting by Dr Matthijs Graaf, University of Amsterdam, used data from pharmacy dispensing records to compare the use of cardiovascular medicines among 3,219 patients with cancer and 16,976 matched controls. Confounding factors such as co-morbidities and co-medication, but not lifestyle factors, were controlled for by the researchers.

The data reveal that statin use was associated with a 20 per cent reduction in cancer risk (adjusted odds ratio 0.80, 95 per cent confidence interval 0.66–0.96). However, only patients who used statins for more than four years had significant risk reduction, explained Dr Graaf. Furthermore, the protective effect disappeared within six months of patients stopping statin therapy.

The Journal attended the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago, Illinois, from 31 May until 3 June, courtesy of Eli Lilly. Our report continues next week