Statins could cut breast cancer death risk by 40%

3p-a-day pills halt growth of tumours, say scientists

From Sophie Borland Health Editor in Chicago

STATINS can cut the risk of dying from breast cancer by 40 per cent, a major study has found.

Researchers believe the 3p-a-day pills dramatically boost survival rates by halting the growth of tumours.

They say that in future, statins – which are taken to lower cholesterol – will routinely be used to treat breast cancer alongside surgery, chemotherapy and other drugs.

The findings, based on data from almost 200,000 women with the disease, will be unveiled at the world’s largest cancer conference this weekend.

They showed on average, participants who had taken any kind of statin were 27 per cent less likely to die within four years than those who had never used the drugs.

The effect was far greater if they had taken the type most commonly used in the UK – lipophilic statins. These patients were 43 per cent less likely to die from breast cancer.

Lead researcher Dr Binliang Liu said his findings suggested that statins ‘truly can change the prognosis of breast cancer’.

Around six million Britons take statins to reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by lowering cholesterol. But there is growing evidence the pills may have far-reaching health benefits. To examine the effect of statins on breast cancer, scientists from the National Cancer Centre in Beijing compiled previously published studies from the UK, the rest of Europe and the US.

These covered data about 197,048 women, including whether they happened to have been taking statins at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis.

The researchers also compared which of the two main types of statins patients had used – lipophilic or hydrophilic.

Lipophilic statins, which include the generic names simvastatin and atorvastatin, dissolve in fat. Hydrophilic statins, such as fluvastatin, dissolve in water.

Women who had been taking hydrophilic statins were only 6 per cent less likely to die in four years. The figure is so small it is not deemed scientifically significant.

The scientists believe lipophilic statins stop cancer cells growing and dividing, through a number of biological processes.

They may also boost the immune system enabling it to better fight the cancer. Approximately 63million prescriptions for lipophilic statins were handed out on the NHS last year.

Dr Liu said in future, the pills should become a routine treatment for women with breast can- cer, adding: ‘Statins can improve prognosis. Statins, especially lipophilic statins, will become important tools.’

The results will be presented to leading cancer doctors and academics from around the world at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

The scientists did not look at whether the drugs prevented breast cancer nor whether they needed to be taken for a certain length of time to be effective.

Around one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. There were 55,222 new cases in the UK in 2014 and 11,433 deaths. Baroness Delyth Morgan, of the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: ‘This study adds to the emerging picture that some statins could be useful for treating breast cancer, but we would need to see clinical trials.’

She added: ‘To stop people dying from the disease, we need to block all of breast cancer’s escape routes – and some statins could yet prove a valuable addition to existing treatments to help do this.’

Cancer Research UK’s Professor Arnie Purushotham said: ‘Further studies are needed to understand more about the role statins can play in treating breast cancer.’

Last year, a discovery by the Institute of Cancer Research in London suggested statins could prevent breast cancer returning.

And in 2015, research by Yale University in the US found they reduced the odds of dying of any type of cancer by 22 per cent.

‘Truly change the prognosis’