Statins Prevent Liver Cancer Among Diabetics, Reduce
Gallbladder Removals Among Women
Studies reported in Gastroenterology, the
official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
Institute
May 6, 2009 – As millions of Americans use statins
each day to help lower their cholesterol and risks of heart disease,
researchers are continuing to find evidence that these drugs may also
have other beneficial effects, such as cancer prevention. A new study
points specifically at the
prevention of liver cancer, while a second report tells of a reduction
in the need for gallbladder removal, both resulting from statins.
Statins Benefit Diabetics at High Risk of HCC
Statin use is associated with a significant
reduction in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver
cancer, among patients with diabetes, according to this new study in
Gastroenterology.
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"Our study provides the first indication of a
cancer preventive effect for statins specific to HCC," said Hashem B.
El-Serag, MD, MPH, of the Baylor College of Medicine and lead author of
the study.
"While these findings need to be confirmed in
future studies, we are hopeful that further research continues to show
the beneficial effect of statins for liver cancer prevention in patients
with diabetes."
HCC is a highly fatal malignancy that has been
increasing in several regions of the world, including the U.S.
Experimental as well as indirect human data suggests that statins exert
a beneficial action, reducing the progression of HCC.
Researchers undertook an epidemiological study in a
large cohort of diabetics, whose risk of HCC was higher than average, to
characterize the relationship between statin use and HCC and other liver
disease. The team examined 1,303 cases and 5,212 controls; the mean age
was 72 years.
Ninety-nine percent were men and 13 percent were
African Americans. A significantly smaller proportion of cases (34.3
percent) had at least one filled prescription for statins than controls
(53.1 percent).
The research team found a significant inverse
association between having statin prescriptions filled and the risk of
developing HCC. There was a trend toward stronger risk reduction with
longer and more frequent statin prescriptions. The risk reduction
observed with statins ranged between 25 percent and 40 percent. Reduced
HCC risk was similar, whether the prescriptions were for simvastatin or
any other statin dispensed.
Statins May Reduce Risk of Gallbladder Removal
Surgery
The use of statins appears to reduce the risk of
cholecystectomy, surgical removal of the gallbladder, in women,
according to the other new study in Gastroenterology, which is
the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
(AGA) Institute.
Gallstone disease is a common abdominal condition
in developed countries and is a major cause of digestive disease leading
to hospital admissions. In the U.S., more than 800,000 cholecystectomies
are performed each year.
Researchers examined the relationship between
statin use and the risk of gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) in a
cohort of U.S. women participating in the prospective Nurses' Health
Study. Participants biennially reported their health history, including
incidence of gallstone disease and whether they had undergone
cholecystectomy.
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of
statin use through data collected in 2000 to define use from 1994
forward, and a prospective analysis for general lipid-lowering drugs
from 1994 to 2004.
In the statin analysis, the researchers ascertained
2,479 cases of cholecystectomy during 305,197 person-years of follow-up.
The multivariate relative risk for current statin
users, compared with nonusers, was 18 percent. In the analysis of
general cholesterol-lowering drugs, researchers found 3,420 cases of
cholecystectomy during 511,411 person-years of follow-up.
Compared with nonusers, the multivariate relative
risk for current users of general cholesterol-lowering drugs, mostly
statins in this group, was 12 percent.
Among diabetic women, duration of current statin
use was correlated with risk of cholecystectomy. Compared with statin
nonuse, the relative risk for current statin use of two or more years
was 75 percent.
"Further study, particularly among diabetics, is
warranted to evaluate the associations of longer durations of statin use
and specific types of statins with risk," said Chung-Jyi Tsai, MD, of
the University of Kentucky Medical Center and lead author of the study.
"Our results should have implications for additional clinical,
epidemiological and mechanistic research."
About the AGA
Institute
The American
Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is dedicated to the mission of
advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology. Founded in 1897,
the AGA is one of the oldest medical-specialty societies in the U.S.
Comprised of two non-profit organizations—the AGA and the AGA
Institute—our more than 17,000 members include physicians and scientists
who research, diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
and liver. The AGA, a 501(c6) organization, administers all membership
and public policy activities, while the AGA Institute, a 501(c3)
organization, runs the organization's practice, research and educational
programs. On a monthly basis, the AGA Institute publishes two highly
respected journals, Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and
Hepatology. The organization's annual meeting is Digestive Disease
Week®, which is held each May and is the largest international gathering
of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of
gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
For more information, please visit
www.gastro.org.
About
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology, the
official journal of the AGA Institute, is the most prominent scientific
journal in the specialty and is in the top 1 percent of indexed medical
journals internationally. The journal publishes clinical and basic
science studies of all aspects of the digestive system, including the
liver and pancreas, as well as nutrition. The journal is abstracted and
indexed in Biological Abstracts, CABS, Chemical Abstracts, Current
Contents, Excerpta Medica, Index Medicus, Nutrition Abstracts and
Science Citation Index. For more information, visit
www.gastrojournal.org.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
May 6, 2009 – As millions of Americans use statins
each day to help lower their cholesterol and risks of heart disease,
researchers are continuing to find evidence that these drugs may also
have other beneficial effects, such as cancer prevention. A new study
points specifically at the
prevention of liver cancer, while a second report tells of a reduction
in the need for gallbladder removal, both resulting from statins.