Statins Extolled as Cancer Fighters

Statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol and fight heart disease appeared to cut the risk of pancreatic and throat cancer by more than half, a study said.

It was the latest in a number of reports to attribute anticancer properties to statins, and comes after Saturday’s release in Florida of a study involving 40,000 women that found the drugs lowered the risk of breast cancer by 51%.

Earlier reports have ascribed a protective effect to statins for prostate and colon cancers, although why they may limit tumor growth in humans and test animals has not been clear.

The latest finding “suggests that these compounds may have health benefits that extend well beyond the heart and may affect the entire body,” said Dr. John Johanson, a physician at the University of Illinois.

He made the comment in a report released at an annual meeting of gastrointestinal experts, where the study from Veterans Affairs doctors was presented Monday.

The study involved nearly half a million veterans, mostly men, under treatment from 1998 to 2004.