Meta-analysis says low LDL cholesterol may be associated with greater risk of cancer

doi:10.1136/bmj.39287.415347.DB

BMJ 2007;335:177 (28 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.39287.415347.DB

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Meta-analysis says low LDL cholesterol may be associated with greater risk of cancer

Janice Hopkins Tanne

New York

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Patients with low concentrations of low density lipoprotein(LDL) cholesterol, lowered as a result of taking statins, areat significantly more risk of being diagnosed as having cancercompared with patients with higher concentrations of the cholesterol,according to a meta-analysis of 23 large studies of statins(Journalof the American College of Cardiology 2007;5:409-18).

The analysis found one more case of newly diagnosed cancer per1000 patients with low achieved LDL cholesterol concentrationswho were taking statin treatment (below 100 mg/dl) comparedwith patients with higher concentrations of the cholesterol(100-150 mg/dl). US guidelines recommend 100 mg/dl.

The study set out to investigate why and how statins sometimesincrease concentrations of liver enzymes and cause rhabdomyolysis.Results showed that raised liver enzymes were significantlyrelated to higher doses of statins. The rate of raised liverenzymes was 271 with high dose statin, 195 with intermediatedose, and 114 . . . [Full text of this article]

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