Statins — better known for their use in cutting cholesterol levels — might also significantly decrease the risk of developing some cancers, according to the results of two studies presented at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

“We were interested in the relationship between statin use and prostate cancer because recent research has demonstrated that in a number of tumour types, statins also induce cancer cell death and growth arrest”, said Jackilen Shannon, lead researcher for one of the studies (http://www.cnn.com, 7 June 2004). Her team surveyed the records of 430 men who had undergone prostate biopsies and found that the risk of developing prostate cancer was 58% lower for those who had taken statins.

In a second study, 3,342 Israelis were asked about their past use of statins to look for potential effects in preventing colorectal cancer. In those who had taken the drugs for 5 years or more, the chance of developing the disease was cut by 51%. Stephen Gruber, who led the study, thinks that all statins might have similar effects: “Simvastatin and pravastatin are the most commonly used statins in Israel and there was no difference between these two drugs. So this appears to be a class effect” (http://www.medscape.com, 9 June 2004).

However, as Gruber and other experts in the field point out, further studies are needed before statins can be prescribed for cancer prevention. “To say to an otherwise healthy person to go start taking statins right now would be imprudent”, commented Monica Morrow of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital (New York Times, 6 June 2004).