Statin use at the time of cancer diagnosis reduced the risk of dying from cancer-related causes by up to 15 percent, a study has found.
Eric Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, said that although the study results are intriguing and exciting, "they do not mean that people with cancer should start using statins in the hopes of improving their prognosis."
Jacobs explained that "because this study was an observational study [as opposed to a trial], the slightly lower cancer death rates among cancer patients who had used statins before their cancer diagnosis could have been caused by factors other than the statin itself."
Jacobs said more research is needed to ascertain if and how statins might influence survival in cancer patients.
More information
The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about statins and cancer prevention.
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