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Statins 'cut risk of bowel cancer': Danger 'halved' by cholesterol-busting pills

Statins 'cut risk of bowel cancer': Danger 'halved' by cholesterol-busting pills

By Pat Hagan

PUBLISHED: 17:43 EST, 11 May 2012 | UPDATED: 17:43 EST, 11 May 2012


Pills taken by up to seven  million Britons to combat high cholesterol could more than halve the risk of bowel cancer, according to researchers.

Statins, which cost as little as 40p a day, slashed the chances of the disease developing by an average of 57 per cent.

And in patients taking higher doses of the cholesterol-busting drugs, or were on them for at least five years, the risk fell by more than 80 per cent.

Pills taken to help lower cholesterol are also aiding in the fight against bowel cancer

Pills taken to help lower cholesterol are also aiding in the fight against bowel cancer

The findings, by a team of doctors at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, suggest the pills could be a cheap and effective way of easing the cancer burden on the NHS, if future large-scale investigations can confirm the results.

Researchers stressed the numbers involved in their study were small but  the findings could be important in terms of preventing an often fatal illness.

More than 37,500 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year.

It has a high mortality rate, killing around 16,000 a year, often  because many victims ignore early  warning signs and seek medical help only once the cancer has had a chance to advance.

The researchers said: ‘Statins may have a protective effect against the development of bowel cancer.

‘In our study, they were associated with a significantly reduced incidence of the disease, and greater statin exposure offered more protection.’

The study  raises the possibility that high cholesterol could be a key factor in the development of the disease and that taking a daily  dose of statins may have a powerful  preventive effect.

Poor diets and lack of exercising are being blamed for the higher cholesterol levels

Poor diets and lack of exercising are being blamed for the higher cholesterol levels

Diets high in fat and red meat, as well as lack of exercise, are thought to be among the main risk factors.

Although previous studies have investigated statins’ possible protective effects in bowel cancer, the results have been inconclusive.

But the latest results, published in the journal BMC Gastroenterology, point to much greater benefits than first thought, with laboratory tests suggesting the pills reduce the formation of polyps, the pre-cancerous growths in the bowel that can develop into tumours.

Dr Kat Arney, of Cancer Research UK, said the study provides ‘another piece of evidence to add to the pile’.

But she added that there is still no definitive answer on whether the drugs ‘have a significant effect on reducing  cancer risk’.

To examine the effect on bowel cancer, the Norwich team recruited 101 cancer patients and another 132 healthy adults. They compared statin use among the two groups to see how it matched up with cancer diagnoses.

The results showed that patients who had taken statins at any time in the past were 57 per cent less likely to get a tumour. 

Patients who had taken statins were less likely to develop tumors and be hospitalised

Patients who had taken statins were less likely to develop tumors and be hospitalised

The extent of the protection depended on how long they had been on the tablets and what dose they took, with those  prescribed statins for under two years a third less likely to get bowel cancer than non-statin users.

But patients on them for five years or more were 82 per cent less likely to develop tumours.

While the standard daily dose of 40 milligrams halved cancer risk, higher doses slashed it by 80 per cent.

British cancer experts said last night the findings add to the evidence that  statins may have a protective role and called for larger studies to investigate the possible health benefits.

Mark Flannagan, chief executive of the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, said: ‘The jury is still out.’

In recent years there has been mounting interest in statins’ capacity to protect against other forms of cancer as well as heart disease.

Although the drugs are generally thought to be effective and sa fe, they can cause some side-effects ranging from mild symptoms â€" such as headaches, pins and needles and nausea â€" to a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis, in which muscle cells break down, the result of which can cause kidney damage.

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And another set of flawed logic from the "Statins are wonderful" brigade. I don't supose that they mentioned the increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver damage, and the general lethargy that results from statin use.

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they are deadly, very heavy pressure (aka money) was put on the FDA to get them approved in the US, despite their dangers and bad testing, etc. The DM is a drug pusher for BIG PHARMA

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May cut bowel cancer but it will destroy your liver in the process. Which one would you rather have?

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Not everything is rosy - I was give Statins of various types because of high cholesterol - every type caused the same problem - it locked my joints so that I could not lift my legs/feet, and had to slide my feet along, I could not climb stairs, every joint hurt, a lot of pain, etc.. But using Statins pays money to the surgeries for each patient on them, so my Doctor tried every variety over a period of months and I suffered a lot of pain, before he finally gave up and proscribed a tablet called Ezetrol which limits the amount of cholesterol that the body can absorb. Works wonders, no pain, cholesterol levels always reasonable - although of course, the Doctors always mutter about getting it lower.

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Another drug company funded survey. Statins are over prescribed and have side effects which have to be weighed heavily against the benefits. Is cholesterol one of the causes of heart disease or merely a risk factor. There is no evidence it causes the disease, but plenty of evidence of the effects of statins, especially Lipitor. Fiat Lux probably works for the company.

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Statins are wonder drugs indeed . Those who get adverse effects are grossly overrepresented in the blogging columns , a vocal minority .

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High cholesterol can also be caused by untreated thyroid condition due to the flawed TSH blood test leaving hundreds of thousands of people undiagnosed and untreated with increasing high cholesterol............. fix the TSH blood test range and all sorts of health is regained

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......yes, but they will give you arthritis.

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