No, it is not aspirin. Statins appear to reduce the risk of breast, colon, prostate, lung cancer, and more.
Statins drop cancer risk. Have you heard of statins? These drugs can lower cholesterol levels, which can reduce the risk of heart disease. But did you know that these drugs may also provide some protection against the risk of death from cancer? I recently found a helpful piece on MDLinx and wanted to share the encouraging (but preliminary) news with you. Let’s look at the evidence.
In an extensive review, researchers showed that patients who took statins before their cancer diagnosis had a 21 percent lower risk of mortality during the follow-up period and a 31 percent lower risk of cancer-specific mortality.
While researchers haven’t found that statins reduce most cancer types, statins appear to prevent recurrence and increase survival in many cancer types.
Here’s a quick look at some evidence showing statins’ preventative effects against selected cancers:
Colon cancer
On a statin, when you received a diagnosis of colorectal cancer? Some data suggests survival odds are improved, as compared with those not on a statin at diagnosis. One study of nearly 30,000 military veterans with colorectal cancer found a more than one-third (38 percent) drop in colon cancer death by the five-year mark. This magnitude of improvement appeared more considerable than that associated with a heart attack and stroke.
A meta‐analysis (an analysis of a collection of studies) showed statin use is associated with a 30 percent improvement in cancer-specific survival, 34 percent improvement in overall survival, and a 36 percent improved recurrence-free survival.
These benefits are associated with using a particular type of statins, known as lipophilic statins. Such medicines include cerivastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin, and fluvastatin. Researchers speculate that these statins work their magic by directly affect cancer cells, rather than through drops in cholesterol.
Please go here to learn more how statins drop cancer risk:
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