Re: Statins cut cancer risk 25% (Study)

On Jan 12, 10:14 pm, Jim Chinnis <jchin...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
bigvince <Vince.Mirag...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in part:





On Jan 9, 11:17 am, Jim Chinnis <jchin...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
aria <aria...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in part:

They also found that the higher the statin dose, the lower the
incidence of cancer.

This makes this study result more credible than most other observational
studies.
--
Jim Chinnis   Warrenton, Virginia, USA

But Jim  the most credible source as I think you have said is the RCT,
heres what a recent study.....http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/
full/295/1/74

Statins and Cancer Risk
A Meta-analysis

Krista M. Dale, PharmD; Craig I. Coleman, PharmD; Nickole N. Henyan,
PharmD; Jeffrey Kluger, MD; C. Michael White, PharmD
JAMA. 2006;295:74-80.

Context  Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that have been proven
in randomized controlled trials to prevent cardiac events. Recent
retrospective analyses have suggested that statins also prevent
cancer. ......

Objectives  To investigate the effect of statin therapy on cancer
incidence and cancer death and to analyze the effect of statins on
specific cancers and the effect of statin lipophilicity or
derivation........

....  Study Selection  Twenty-seven of the 8943 articles (n = 86 936
participants) initially identified met the inclusion criteria,
reporting 26 randomized controlled trials of statins, with a mean
duration of follow-up of at least 1 year, enrolling a minimum of 100
patients, and reporting data on either cancer incidence (n = 20
studies) or cancer death (n = 22 studies).

....In meta-analyses including 6662 incident cancers and 2407 cancer
deaths, statins did not reduce the incidence of cancer (OR, 1.02; 95%
CI, 0.97-1.07) or cancer deaths (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.93-1.09). No
reductions were noted for any individual cancer type. This null effect
on cancer incidence persisted when only hydrophilic, lipophilic,
naturally derived, or synthetically derived statins were evaluated.

Conclusions  Statins have a neutral effect on cancer and cancer death
risk in randomized controlled trials. We found that no type of cancer
was affected by statin use and no subtype of statin affected the risk
of cancer. "

As for the effect noted in the   Reuters piece 2 points first ldl
may be protective against cancer  http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/131/3/468

CANCER MORTALITY AND LIPID AND LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS

'Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were
significantly inversely associated with overall cancer mortality in
men, but no relation was observed in women.'

   It may be the fact that TC levels protected those in the statin
arm from cancer and that would also explain the dose dependaent
effect.

The other reason is the group on hypertensive medications as low
vitamin d levels have been linked to increased cancers and at  least 2
of the classes of those meds require people to avoid the sun it may be
that this study is seeing a increase in the cancer in the BP arm
rather that a decrease in the statin arm caused by low levels of
vitamin d.

As the Reuters piece suggested colon cancer as being reduced by
statins it is interesting that a recent study of RCTs on this issue
has been done

http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/23/3462

"Statins and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of 18
Studies Involving More Than 1.5 Million Patients"  Journal of Clinical
Oncology, Vol 25, No 23 (August 10), 2007

"Purpose: Statins have been suggested to prevent colorectal cancer.
Several epidemiologic studies have evaluated this association, whereas
randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on cardiovascular outcomes provide
relevant data as a secondary end point. Our aim was to examine the
strength of this association through a detailed meta-analysis of the
studies published on the subject in peer-reviewed literature. "

.....Results: Eighteen studies involving more than 1.5 million
participants contributed to the analysis. They were grouped on the
basis of study design, and separate meta-analyses were conducted.
There was no evidence of an association between statin use and risk of
colorectal cancer either among RCTs (RR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.13;
n = 6) or among cohort studies (RR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.11; n =
3). ........

Not very compelling is it.
Thasnks Vince

Are you agreeing or disagreeing with what I said about dose response?
--


First in large studies of RCT the conclusion of this this
observartional study have not been confirmed.

Statins and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of 18
Studies Involving More Than 1.5 Million Patients" Journal of
Clinical
Oncology, Vol 25, No 23 (August 10), 2007

"Results: Eighteen studies involving more than 1.5 million
participants contributed to the analysis. They were grouped on the
basis of study design, and separate meta-analyses were conducted.
There was no evidence of an association between statin use and risk
of
colorectal cancer either among RCTs (RR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.13;
n = 6) or among cohort studies (RR = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.11; n =
3). ........ "

Making it very unlikely that the effect observed is real or it
Should have been seen in the much larger study of RCT conducted to
answer this question. from stated study

"Purpose: Statins have been suggested to prevent colorectal cancer.
Several epidemiologic studies have evaluated this association, whereas
randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on cardiovascular outcomes provide
relevant data as a secondary end point.......

So the real question is what caused the error in the small
observetional study. Again part of the answer may be in the comparator
arm of the study hypertension drugs which would tend to lower vitamin
d levels and increase cancer in that arm . It might be a more accurate
discription to say diuretics and ccbs directly or by their effects on
vitamin d raise cancer than statins lower them. As to the dose
response you mention as the results have not been confirmed in the
more accurate and larger study it becomes rather moot . It is
interesting to note that previous studies have shown TC or LDL levels
are protective

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/131/3/468
CANCER MORTALITY AND LIPID AND LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS


'Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were
significantly inversely associated with overall cancer mortality in
men, but no relation was observed in women.'

In other words the group in the study that showed dose dependant
reduction in cancer where in fact protected by the LDL level. The
higher the LDL level the more protection ;also the higher dose of
statin given those given the higher dose would have had less cancer
anyway . The small observational study was made up mostly of males
the very group that was protected by TC . Statin dose was irrelavent.

Thanks Vince
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Statins do not affect cancer risk
    ... >> CHICAGO - Statin drugs are proven to lower cholesterol levels ... >> best-selling medications do not ward off cancer as some earlier studies ... >> 130,000 patients in the United States and found no effect on colon cancer ... >> rates between those who used statins and those who did not. ...
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  • Re: selenoprotein inhibition and statins
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  • Re: Statins do not affect cancer risk
    ... > CHICAGO - Statin drugs are proven to lower cholesterol levels ... > best-selling medications do not ward off cancer as some earlier studies ... > rates between those who used statins and those who did not. ... > placebo to measure effectiveness against heart disease. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Prior statin use halves risk of various cancers
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  • Re: Statins help prevent breast cancer, study finds
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