Do statin drugs lower your risk for certain kinds of cancer? Some doctors think they do. But when a group of Taiwanese researchers recently looked at statin use and a particular kind of common cancer—something never examined before—their findings were especially alarming for women.
THE THYROID CANCER CONNECTION
Researchers from Taipei Medical University reviewed Taiwan’s health insurance database to find 500 people in whom thyroid cancer had been diagnosed between 2008 and 2011. They compared each person with five people of the same age and gender who didn’t have thyroid cancer. Then, the researchers looked through the medical insurance records of all of these people to see who was ever given a prescription for a statin and how often they took it. They also examined whether high cholesterol itself might be associated with development of thyroid cancer.
The results. The odds of getting thyroid cancer were 40% higher in women who were “regular” statin users—defined as people who were on statins for at least 60 days within six months of getting the cancer diagnosis. Men who regularly used statins and people who used them less often than regularly had no increased risk of thyroid cancer. The researchers could not explain why women were affected and men not.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
The role of statins in the development of colorectal, breast and prostate cancers and leukemia has already been studied, with some studies showing that statins decrease the risk of certain cancers and others suggesting that statins have no effect on cancer risk. Although more studies need to be done to better clarify whether statin use puts a person at higher risk for thyroid cancer, the new study’s findings are yet another reason to consider alternatives when a doctor suggests you take a statin—especially if you are a woman.