Q&A With Heart Experts: In this series, heart specialists answer common questions about statins and heart health.
Is there a link between cancer and statin use?
No. Multiple high-quality studies show that statins do not increase the risk of cancer. A large review from the Cochrane Collaboration looked at 26 randomized controlled trials with 86,936 participants and found no link between statin use and cancer of any kind (Dale et al 2006).
Additionally, an individual patient data meta-analysis from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists Collaboration (27 statin trials, with about 175,000 participants) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force systematic review (13 primary prevention trials, 71,733 participants) found no evidence of a carcinogenic effect. These studies are considered very strong evidence because they are based on large numbers of patients from multiple trials.
Key Points
- Overall, the data show that statins do not cause cancer.