Low cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of oral cancer

This study was published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology 2013 Jan;17(1):4-9

 

Study title and authors:

Estimation of plasma lipids and its significance on histopathological grades in oral cancer: Prognostic significance an original research.

Sherubin EJ, Kannan KS, Kumar DN, Joseph I.

Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Sree Mookambika Institute of Dental Sciences, Kulasekharam, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23798822

This study investigated the association between cholesterol levels and the risk of oral cancer. The cholesterol levels of 50 patients with oral cancer, aged between 20 and 60 years, were compared with normal cholesterol levels.

The study found:
(a) The cholesterol levels of patients with oral cancer were 16-45% lower than normal cholesterol levels.
(b) The low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of patients with oral cancer were 45% lower than normal LDL cholesterol levels.
(c) The cholesterol levels of patients with the most invasive form of oral cancer were 14% lower than patients with the mildest form of oral cancer.
(d) The low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels of patients with the most invasive form of oral cancer were 17% lower than patients with the mildest form of oral cancer.

The results of the study reveal that low cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of oral cancer.