Hyperlipidemia Linked With Lower Risk of Breast Cancer
In a recent study, researchers investigated the impact of hyperlipidemia on subsequent development of breast cancer in a large database of patients in the United Kingdom.
A diagnosis of hyperlipidemia is associated with lower risk developing breast cancer, according to the results of a recent study.
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Previous research has indicated that hyperlipidemia may be a risk factor for cancer, although the effects of the condition, and of cholesterol-lowering drugs on cancer risk remain uncertain.
The researchers conducted a longitudinal cohort study investigating the impact of hyperlipidemia on subsequent development of breast cancer in a large database of patients in the United Kingdom. Data from 16,043 women attending several hospitals in Northern England between 2000 and 2013 with diagnoses of hyperlipidemia (mean age 66±12) were analyzed and compared with an age and gender matched cohort of 16,043 patients without hyperlipidemia.
Overall, those patients with hyperlipidemia had lower incidence of subsequent breast cancer compared with those without hyperlipidemia (0.5% vs 0.8%,). Hyperlipidemia patients also had lower mortality rates compared with controls (13.8% vs 23.7%).
“We demonstrate using a large, longitudinal database that a diagnosis of hyperlipidemia has a highly protective effect on the subsequent development of breast cancer. The underlying reasons are yet to be elucidated but treatment with statins or a healthier lifestyle may contribute. The potentially beneficial effect of lipid-lowering medications amongst cancer patients should be further investigated,” the researchers wrote.
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Carter PR, Uppal H, Changdran S, et al. Patients with a diagnosis of hyperlipidaemia have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer and lower mortality rates: a large retrospective longitudinal cohort study from the UK ACALM registry. European Heart Journal. 2017;38(Supplement):644-645.