Women using statins have a 9% increased risk of breast cancer

This study was published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2003 Mar;56(3):280-5

Study title and authors:
Statin use and the risk of breast cancer.

Beck P, Wysowski DK, Downey W, Butler-Jones D.
Saskatchewan Health, Population Health Branch, 3475 Albert Street, Regina SK S4S 6X6, Canada. pbeck@health.gov.sk.ca

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12725884

The study investigated the association of statin use and breast cancer. The study included 13,592 statin users and 53,880 nonexposed subjects who were followed for up to 8.5 years.

The study found that women using statins had a 9% increased risk of breast cancer compared to women not exposed to statins.

Low cholesterol levels may be associated with the development of dementia

This study was published in the Archives of Neurology 2007 Jan;64(1):103-7

Study title and authors:
Twenty-six-year change in total cholesterol levels and incident dementia: the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

Stewart R, White LR, Xue QL, Launer LJ.
King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry), Section of Epidemiology, England. r.stewart@iop.kcl.ac.uk

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17210816

This study investigated the relationship between cholesterol levels and the risk of dementia. The study included 1,027 men who were followed for 26 years. Over the course of the study the men had their cholesterol levels measured on five occasions and were screened for dementia on two occasions.

The study found that  cholesterol levels in men with dementia and, in particular, those with Alzheimer disease had declined at least 15 years before the diagnosis and remained lower than cholesterol levels in men without dementia throughout that period.

Stewart concluded: "A decline in serum total cholesterol levels may be associated with early stages in the development of dementia".

Ulcerative colitis and statins

This paper was published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal 2002 May;78(919):286-7

Study title and authors:
Ulcerative colitis after statin treatment.

Rea WE, Durrant DC, Boldy DA.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Pilgrim Hospital, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Boston, Lincs, UK.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12151572

This paper describes the case of a man who developed ulcerative colitis as an adverse reaction to simvastatin. (Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease).

(i) A 65 year old man was admitted to hospital with a one month history of diarrhoea, passing between five and 10 loose, watery motions per day, occasionally with blood.
(ii) The patient had had one similar episode, approximately one year before admission. On that occasion, it was felt by his general practitioner that the episode coincided with the patient starting pravastatin. 
(iii) The pravastatin was discontinued and the patient’s symptoms resolved.
(iv) At the time of admission, the patient was taking simvastatin 20 mg once a day. He had been started on simvastatin 10 mg once a day, six months before admission, and this had been increased to simvastatin 20 mg once a day one month before admission.
(v) Shortly afterwards, the symptoms had started.
(vi) Examination revealed he was dehydrated and had generalised rectal tenderness with a small amount of fresh blood.
(vii) Investigations showed:
A raised serum urea concentration.
Reduced haemoglobin.
Low albumin.
Partial blockage of the small intestine.
(viii) Tests found inflammation of the colon and the lining of the rectum.
(ix) A biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of simvastatin induced ulcerative colitis.
(x) The simvastatin was discontinued.
(xi) The patient received treatment but by day five had significantly more abdominal pain.
(xii) Investigations revealed severe ulcerative colitis with ulceration and polyp formation throughout.
(xiii) The patient had an operation to remove all of the colon, rectum and anus.
(xiv) Despite treatment in an intensive care unit the patient developed multiple organ failure and died.

Rea concludes: "This side effect of statin treatment is almost certainly subject to under-reporting".

People with the lowest cholesterol levels have the highest rate of death from coronary heart disease

This study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine 1997 May 15;126(10):753-60

 

Study title and authors:

Clarifying the direct relation between total cholesterol levels and death from coronary heart disease in older persons.

Corti MC, Guralnik JM, Salive ME, Harris T, Ferrucci L, Glynn RJ, Havlik RJ.

National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-9205, USA.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9148647

This study investigated the association of cholesterol levels and the risk of death from heart disease. The study included 4,066 men and women who were followed for five years.

The study found:
(a) Those with the lowest cholesterol levels (less than 4.15 mmol/L [160 mg/dL]) had the highest rate of death from coronary heart disease.
(b) Those with the highest cholesterol levels (more than 6.20 mmol/L [240 mg/dL]) had the lowest rate of death from coronary heart disease. 

Long term use of statins increases the risk of breast cancer

This study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2013 Jul 5

Study title and authors:
Long-term statin use and risk of ductal and lobular breast cancer among women 55-74 years of age.

McDougall JA, Malone KE, Daling JR, Cushing-Haugen KL, Porter PL, Li CI.
Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23833125

This study investigated the relationship between long term statin use and the risk of breast cancer. The study included 916 women with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer and 1,068 women with invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer who were compared with 902 women free of breast cancer. The women were aged between 55-74 years.

The study found:
(a) Current users of statins for 10 years or longer had a 83% increased risk of invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer compared to women who had never used statins.
(b) Current users of statins for 10 years or longer had a 97% increased risk of invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer compared to women who had never used statins.

McDougall concluded: "All statins inhibit HMG-CoA reductase at the rate-limiting step of the mevalonate pathway, an intricate biochemical pathway required for the production of cholesterol, isoprenoids, dolichol, ubiquinone, and isopentenyladine. Laboratory studies have investigated how disrupting the melavonate pathway may lead to carcinogenesis. Our finding of an increased risk only among current long-term statin users suggests that the chronic dysregulation of the mevalonate pathway and/or long-termlowering of serum cholesterol may contribute to breast carcinogenesis".

Low cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of oral cancer

This study was published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology 2013 Jan;17(1):4-9

 

Study title and authors:

Estimation of plasma lipids and its significance on histopathological grades in oral cancer: Prognostic significance an original research.

Sherubin EJ, Kannan KS, Kumar DN, Joseph I.

Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Sree Mookambika Institute of Dental Sciences, Kulasekharam, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23798822

This study investigated the association between cholesterol levels and the risk of oral cancer. The cholesterol levels of 50 patients with oral cancer, aged between 20 and 60 years, were compared with normal cholesterol levels.

The study found:
(a) The cholesterol levels of patients with oral cancer were 16-45% lower than normal cholesterol levels.
(b) The low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of patients with oral cancer were 45% lower than normal LDL cholesterol levels.
(c) The cholesterol levels of patients with the most invasive form of oral cancer were 14% lower than patients with the mildest form of oral cancer.
(d) The low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of patients with the most invasive form of oral cancer were 17% lower than patients with the mildest form of oral cancer.

The results of the study reveal that low cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of oral cancer.