A Heart Helper May Come at a Price for the Brain - NYTimes.com

"Statins are the most prescribed drugs in the world, and there is no doubt that for people at high risk of cardiovascular problems, the drugs lower not only cholesterol but also the risk of heart attack and stroke. But for years doctors have been fielding reports from patients that the drugs leave them feeling “fuzzy,” and unable to remember small and big things, like where they left the car, a favorite poem or a recently memorized presentation. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration finally acknowledged what many patients and doctors have believed for a long time: Statin drugs carry a risk of cognitive side effects. The agency also warned users about diabetes risk and muscle pain...........

Safety Alerts Cite Cholesterol Drugs’ Side Effects - NYTimes.com

Safety Alerts Cite Cholesterol Drugs’ Side Effects - NYTimes.com

PLoS ONE: Lack of Effect of Lowering LDL Cholesterol on Cancer: Meta-Analysis of Individual Data from 175,000 People in 27 Randomised Trials of Statin Therapy

Blogger's Note: Table S1 does not specifically show gyn/ovarian cancers unless they have been reported in 'other' or 'unspecified'; a search of the document for 'gyn'/'ovarian'/'ovary' did not provide a result

Background

Statin therapy reduces the risk of occlusive vascular events, but uncertainty remains about potential effects on cancer. We sought to provide a detailed assessment of any effects on cancer of lowering LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) with a statin using individual patient records from 175,000 patients in 27 large-scale statin trials.


Table S1.
Number of patients with a report of cancer (number of cancer deaths), by site and trial.
(PDF)

Conclusion

"........ The present report now demonstrates clearly that such reductions in LDL cholesterol do not increase the rate of cancer or cancer death, overall or at any particular site, during a treatment period of about 5 years (and more prolonged follow-up in some of the trials does not indicate any later excess) even among older individuals or those who have their cholesterol levels reduced to very low levels. These findings provide considerable reassurance about the safety of using more intensive statin regimens to lower LDL cholesterol levels substantially in patients who remain at high risk of major vascular events."

Medical News: Statins Up Diabetes Risk in Older Women - in Primary Care, Diabetes from MedPage Today (2nd article)

Action Points

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• This study found that older women who take statins may be at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
• Note that the risk was seen with all types of statins.

"Older women who take statins may be at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, researchers found.

In an analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative, postmenopausal women who were on a statin at study entry had almost a 50% greater risk of diabetes than those who weren't on the cholesterol-lowering drugs, Yunsheng Ma, MD, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, and colleagues reported online in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"This study urges us to further evaluate the risk-benefit profile of statins," Ma told MedPage Today, adding that the ratio will likely vary by patient population....."

WEBMD: Statins May Raise Diabetes Risk in Older Women (short and longterm use)

media referencing Cochrane Review: Rate of statin prescriptions not backed by solid proof: Study (read for further explanation)

EvidenceUpdates - A clinical review of statins and cancer: helpful or harmful? (short abstract/commentaries)

Statin use and cancer risk: a comprehensive review; Expert Opinion on Drug Safety

Note: this study did not include ovarian cancer but numerous other cancers

Take home message: Few strong or consistent associations between statins and cancer incidence overall or for any of the sites reviewed were detected. Data for any effects of statins on cancer prognosis and secondary prevention are lacking; with the exception of consistent evidence that statins are associated with reduced risk of advanced/aggressive prostate cancer. Statins appear safe in relation to cancer risk but any chemopreventive effect in humans remains to be established and should not be recommended outside the context of clinical trials. It is encouraging that numerous trials are ongoing. The prospect of reducing the incidence and burden of some of the most prevalent cancers with safe, affordable and tolerable medication that already reduces the risk of the leading cause of death and cardiovascular disease warrants further exploration in clinical trials and observational studies of prognosis and survival.

full access: Lovastatin induces apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and synergizes with doxorubicin: potential therapeutic relevance - U of T

Conclusions:
The results of this research provide pre-clinical data to warrant further evaluation of statins as potential anti-cancer agents to treat ovarian carcinoma. Many statins are inexpensive, off-patent generic drugs that are immediately available for use as anti-cancer agents. We provide evidence that lovastatin triggers apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells as a single agent by a mevalonate-dependent mechanism. Moreover, we also show lovastatin synergizes with doxorubicin, an agent administered for recurrent disease. This synergy occurs by a novel mevalonate-independent mechanism that antagonizes drug resistance, likely by inhibiting P-glycoprotein. These data raise important issues that may impact how statins can best be included in chemotherapy regimens.