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The association between 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl conenzyme A inhibitor use and breast carcinoma risk among postmenopausal women
Author(s) -
Boudreau Denise M.,
Gardner Jacqueline S.,
Malone Kathleen E.,
Heckbert Susan R.,
Blough David K.,
Daling Janet R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.20271
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , breast carcinoma , odds ratio , statin , confidence interval , carcinoma , population , cancer , oncology , gynecology , environmental health
BACKGROUND Statin use has increased dramatically in the U.S. in the past decade. Animal and mechanistic studies suggested that statins may have an inhibitory effect on cancer proliferation, including breast carcinoma. However, statins have been found to be carcinogenic in rodents and one clinical trial found an excess of breast carcinoma cases in the treatment group. METHODS The current study assessed whether the use of statins altered the risk of breast carcinoma in older women. The population‐based, case–control study comprised female residents from three western Washington State counties. Cases included 975 women identified from the Cancer Surveillance System who were diagnosed with primary invasive breast carcinoma between 1997–1999, whose names appeared on a list of Social Security recipients provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The cases were ages 65–79 years at the time of diagnosis. The comparison group was comprised of 1007 women without breast carcinoma who were randomly selected from the same list of Social Security recipients. Information pertaining to statin use, medical history, and health behaviors was ascertained through an in‐person interview. RESULTS Compared with nonusers, women who were currently using statins or had ever used statins were not found to be at an increased risk for breast carcinoma (odds ratios [OR] = 0.9; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.7–1.2). There was some indication that long‐term statin use (> 5 years) was related to a slight decrease in breast carcinoma risk (OR = 0.7; 95% CI, 0.4–1.0). CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study provided some degree of reassurance to the increasing numbers of women using statins that such use is not associated with an increased risk of breast carcinoma. Although the data gave some support to a reduced risk of breast carcinoma among long‐term users of statins, further research is needed to confirm this association. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.