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World J Clin Oncol. May 10, 2013; 4(2): 43-46
Published online May 10, 2013. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v4.i2.43
Published online May 10, 2013. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v4.i2.43
Statin a day keeps cancer at bay
Siddharth Singh, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, United States
Preet Paul Singh, Department of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, United States
Author contributions: Both authors contributed equally to drafting the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Siddharth Singh, MD, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States. singh.siddharth2@mayo.edu
Telephone: +1-507-5381231 Fax: +1-507-2840538
Received: February 20, 2013
Revised: March 28, 2013
Accepted: April 28, 2013
Published online: May 10, 2013
Revised: March 28, 2013
Accepted: April 28, 2013
Published online: May 10, 2013
Core Tip
Core tip: With increasing economic burden of cancer care, cost-effective, preventive strategies are in focus. Commonly used drugs like statins, metformin and aspirin have been shown to have anti-neoplastic effects and are attractive candidates for cancer chemoprevention and reducing cancer-related mortality. Recently, in a Danish nationwide population-based cohort study, statin users had 15% reduction in all-cause and cancer-specific mortality as compared to non-users. These results are encouraging and show that statin use may be associated with reduced cancer mortality across different subgroups and cancer sites. However, several confounding variables remain, which merit further evaluation before this can change clinical practice.