Statins linked to thyroid, breast , and other cancers

A new study conducted by Shih-Han Hung at Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues Herng-Ching Lin, and Shiu-Dong Chung, shows that regular statin use is linked to a significantly greater risk of thyroid cancer.

Researchers examined 500 patients with thyroid cancer, and 2500 subjects without thyroid cancer. They found that thyroid cancer was significantly associated with previous regular statin use in women, but not in men.

The study was published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.

This link might be due to the immunomodulatory effects of statins.

A recent study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention also shows disturbing effects on breast cancer. Long-term use of statins has been linked to an almost two-fold greater risk of some types of breast cancer, according to a study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The study showed that statins were associated with an increased risk of invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma.

A recent study publishd in the journal The Prostate examined if statins have a link to prostate cancer. Researchers examined 388 prostate cancer patients and 1,552 age-matched controls. The use of any statins was linked to a significant increase in prostate cancer risk. With increasing cumulative dose, a significant trend toward higher prostate cancer risk was observed.

Cholesterol is essential for proper physical and psychological health, and lowering it too much will have negative effects. Statins can increase the risk of some types of cancer, and their use should be questioned.

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Graham