Dear Dr. Fritz,
Good day to you. I have heard that statin can be good for those who have breast cancer. I am doubtful, though. Is this true? I am concerned because my aunt has breast cancer. I wanted to know because I wanted to help her.
Thanks for your thoughts. More power to you always.
-Lucky Luck
Dear Lucky Luck,
Yes. You have heard it right. Statin is good for those who have breast cancer. As a matter of fact, according to a new study, breast cancer mortality was significantly lower among patients who used statins compared to those who did not use these cholesterol-lowering drugs. This study is from data from a randomized trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2017, which showed significantly improved disease-free survival, breast cancer-free interval, and distant recurrence-free interval in early-stage breast cancer patients randomized to cholesterol-lowering medication compared to those who did not receive cholesterol-lowering medication.
The second most common cause of death for breast cancer survivors is cardiovascular-related and given the survival rates in early breast cancer, there is certainly a demand for cardioprotective initiatives and maintenance of cardioprotective drugs after diagnosis.
Statins are the most common drugs used to lower cholesterol. Because of this, tumor cells are deprived of the cholesterol needed for cell membrane synthesis.
The clinical takeaway from this study is that statin use is associated with a reduced risk of dying from breast cancer, however, this is not possible to determine the true effect of statins on breast cancer survival without a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. So, again, let’s wait more and see and hope for the best. But, as of the moment, statins can do good. So, go for it.
Good luck to you and to your aunt!
-Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist, surgeon, and clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15-year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.”. For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sunstar-Davao Publishing Inc., Door 11, Ebro-Pelayo Building 1, Juan Luna St., Barangay 29-C, Davao City, or you e-mail them to dokatlaw@gmail.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)