Pravastatin increases the risk of cancer by 6%

This paper was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal 2007 Feb 27;176(5):649-54

Study title and authors:

Does pravastatin promote cancer in elderly patients? A meta-analysis.

Bonovas S, Sitaras NM.

Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Athens Athens, Greece. sbonovas@med.uoa.gr

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17325332

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of pravastatin therapy on cancer risk. The study analysed the results of 12 pravastatin trials which included 42,902 men and women, (21,454 patients in pravastatin groups and 21,448 in control groups).

The study found:
(a) Pravastatin users had a 6% increased risk of cancer compared to non-statin users.
(b) Pravastatin therapy was associated with an increasing risk of cancer as the patient age increased. E.g. The oldest pravastain users, aged over 75, had a 22% increased risk of cancer compared to non-users.

Bonovas concluded: "this analysis showed that pravastatin therapy was associated with an increasing risk of cancer as age increased".

Links to other studies:
Young women who are treated with statins may be at increased risk for the development of breast cancer
Statins increase cancer rates by 41% and the overall death rate by 4%
Statins increase the risk of prostate cancer