Statins associated with a 21% increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer

This study was published in the British Journal of Cancer 2016 Jan 7

 

Study title and authors:

Relation of statin use with non-melanoma skin cancer: prospective results from the Women's Health Initiative.

Wang A, Stefanick ML, Kapphahn K, Hedlin H, Desai M, Manson JA, Strickler H, Martin L, Wactawski-Wende J, Simon M, Tang JY.

Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 450 Broadway Street, Pavilion B, 4th Floor MC 5338, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26742009

The study investigated the relationship between statin use and non-melanoma skin cancer. The study included 118,357 women, aged 50-79 years, who were followed for 10.5 years.

The study found that women who used statins had a 21% increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer compared to women who did not use statins.

Links to other studies:
Long term statin use increases the risk of basal cell carcinoma by 30%
Statin users have a 14% increased risk of melanoma
Statin users have a 25% increased risk of developing Merkel cell carcinoma