Two of the top 10 most popular prescription drugs in the United States are used to treat high cholesterol, according to a May 2010 Forbes.com list. This isn't surprising considering that one of every six American adults has high cholesterol, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Certain cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are used to treat other health conditions as well; these medications have been of particular interest for their role in cancer development and treatment.
Theory
Statin drugs' ability to prevent cardiovascular disease and their relative safety for long-term use have contributed to the interest in them among cancer researchers, according to the National Cancer Institute. Statins reduce cholesterol production in the body by blocking a certain enzyme called HMG-CoA. This enzyme is converted to a substance called mevalonate. Mevalonate is involved in many important functions, such as protein synthesis and cell division. Molecular research has shown that inhibiting HMG-CoA reduces mevalonate, thereby limiting tumor growth and the spread of cancer in the body, the NCI reports.
Risk of Statins
Statins do have some potential side effects, with liver damage being one of the most severe. Beyond those rare effects, some have been concerned about whether these drugs could actually increase the risk of cancer. But research findings presented at the American Heart Association's 2010 annual meeting suggest that taking statins long term does not up cancer risk. Another 2010 study, introduced at a American Association for Cancer Research meeting, supports these findings. Researchers compared 24,000 records of both statin and non-statin patients, finding that the difference in cancer incidence was negligible.
Prostate Cancer
Statins and their use specifically for prostate cancer has garnered much attention. Research out of North Carolina's Duke Prostate Center, released in 2008, found that statins lowered men's prostate-specific antigen values, or PSA. High PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer. Duke researchers also found that the risk of cancer recurrence after a prostatectomy drops 30 percent in men who take statins. Their findings, published in July 2010 in the journal Cancer, also suggest that higher doses of these drugs are associated with a lower risk of cancer recurrence.
Colon Cancer
The benefit of statins for colon cancer may not be as promising. A 2005 New England Journal of Medicine study found that taking statins for five years reduced colon cancer risk by half. University of Michigan researchers found that this held true even for people with risk factors for the disease, such as family history. But later research released in 2010 found that these drugs don't reduce colorectal cancer risk -- at least in postmenopausal women. The study, presented at an American Association for Cancer Research event, used data from 159,219 postmenopausal women. Researchers found 7.6 percent of the 2,000 women who developed colorectal cancer were on statins. More research is needed because these drugs may still be beneficial for certain populations at risk for colorectal cancer.
References
- Forbes: America's Most Popular Drugs; Matthew Herper; May 2010
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Cholesterol Facts
- National Cancer Institute: Statins and Cancer Prevention
- Health Finder: Long-Term Statin Use Won't Up Cancer Risk: Study; Amanda Gardner; November 2010
- Duke Cancer Institute: Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs May Also Lower PSA; October 2008
- Duke Cancer Institute: Statins Associated With Lower Cancer Recurrence Following Prostatectomy; June 2010
