Cancer early view

Statin use and risk of breast cancer

Gaia Pocobelli, BS, MS 1 2 *, Polly A. Newcomb, MPH, PhD 2 3, Amy
Trentham-Dietz, PhD 3, Linda Titus-Ernstoff, MA, PhD 4, John M.
Hampton, MS 3, Kathleen M. Egan, ScD 5
1Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle,
Washington
2Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
Seattle, Washington
3University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Madison, Wisconsin
4Departments of Community & Family Medicine and Pediatrics, Dartmouth
Medical School, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire
5Cancer Prevention and Control, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and
Research Institute, Tampa, Florida

email: Gaia Pocobelli (gpocobel@u.washington.edu)

*Correspondence to Gaia Pocobelli, Cancer Prevention Program, Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N, M4-B402,
Seattle, WA 98109-1024

Fax: (206) 667-7850.

Funded by:
National Institutes of Health; Grant Number: CA47147, CA47305,
CA69664

Abstract

BACKGROUND.
Findings that statins inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer
cells in vitro and in rodents have raised interest in whether the use
of statins might decrease a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
We analyzed data from a population-based case-control study to
evaluate the association between the use of statins and breast cancer
risk.

METHODS.
Cases of incident invasive breast cancer in women 50 years of age or
older and diagnosed from 1995-2001 were identified from population-
based cancer registries in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and New
Hampshire. Controls were randomly selected, within each state, from
lists of licensed drivers and Medicare beneficiaries. Information on
the use of statins and other breast cancer risk factors was
ascertained from structured telephone interviews.

RESULTS.
Overall, breast cancer cases were not more likely than controls to
have ever used statins. Ever use of lipophilic statins as a group
(simvastatin, lovastatin, and fluvastatin) and ever use of the
hydrophilic statin pravastatin were also not associated with breast
cancer risk. Ever use of fluvastatin was associated with a decreased
risk of breast cancer (odds ratio [OR], 0.5; 95% confidence interval,
0.3-0.8) but the magnitude of the ORs did not vary across categories
of duration of use.

CONCLUSIONS.
The use of statins overall was not associated with breast cancer
risk.