FDA Investigates Possible Vytorin-Cancer Link

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An even larger study by Sir Richard Peto, the renowned British epidemiologist, reported at a meeting but not yet published in a medical journal, came to the same conclusion, Karas said.

An association between low levels of LDL cholesterol and cancer is no surprise, said Dr. Daniel Steinberg, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He wrote an editorial accompanying the report.

"The so-called J-shaped curve has been seen repeatedly when cholesterol has been measured," Steinberg said. "In such studies, persons with the lowest LDL cholesterol on entry show the highest death rate from cancer than those with higher LDL levels."

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One possible mechanism is that cancer itself reduces LDL cholesterol levels, he said. "This is especially true of cancers involving the blood cell system, but it also occurs with cancer of the kidney and elsewhere," Steinberg said.

"Whatever the mechanism, the main point should be that studies of much larger numbers of people in statin trials find no excess of cancers," he said.

More information

There's more on statins at the American Heart Association.

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