By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com
June 27, 2006
Statins, those drugs which lower the cholesterol level and help prevent heart trouble may also help prevent cancer of the colon and rectum.
Doctors studied nearly 4,000 people and reported their conclusions in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Half of those in the study had cancer. Twelve percent of those who did were healthy and had taken statins for least five years. Six percent of those with cancer had done so as well.
The most common drugs taken were Zocor and Pravacor. Each had about the same impact overall.
Researchers think the statins lowered the risk of colo-rectal cancer nearly 50 percent.
How come? Well, we don't know for sure but statins do block inflammation, which can lead to cancer.
It may be that statins can prevent different types of cancer. Anti-inflammatories like aspirin and COX-2 inhibitors have also been linked to reduction of cancer risk.
We don't know the proper dose to prevent cancer, or whether statins will help folks with normal colons and digestive tracts, but we do know they help folks in more ways than we thought.
