TUESDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Statin use does not reduce the risk of any type of cancer or affect cancer-related mortality, according to a meta-analysis of 26 studies involving nearly 87,000 subjects published in the Jan. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
To be included in the analysis, studies were required to enroll a minimum of 100 subjects, have a minimum of one year of follow-up and include data on cancer incidence or cancer mortality. Three investigators independently evaluated the data.
Statin users had an odds ratio for cancer of 1.02 compared with non-users, and an odds ratio of 1.01 for cancer-related death. The researchers found no reduction in the numbers of cancers or cancer type with any type of statin.
The research team, led by Krista M. Dale, Pharm.D., of the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in Storrs, notes that previous studies have found a reduction in cancer risk with statin use. However, the study found "no type of cancer was affected by statin use and no subtype of statin affected the risk of cancer."
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