Cholesterol-lowering pills used by tens of millions of Americans may reduce the risk of developing a common cancer, a study suggests.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland found that those who took cholesterol absorption inhibitors had up to a 31 percent lower risk of liver cancer.
Among those taking statins, they found that the risk of developing the same disease was reduced by up to 35 percent.
Altogether, the number of people in the US taking statins and cholesterol absorption inhibitors like Zetia is 54 million.
Previous research has also suggested that taking statins may reduce the risk of developing 20 types of cancer, including breast, liver, stomach and bowel cancer.
Available by prescription and sold under brand names such as Zetia, cholesterol absorption inhibitors are typically given to those who cannot take statins (file image)
Written in the article published in the magazine CancerThe researchers suggested the drug could reduce inflammation levels in the liver, which could reduce damage to cells.
Researchers analyzed data from 3,719 patients who had liver cancer compared with 14,876 people who did not develop the disease.
The patients had an average age of 69, 70 percent were men, and were more likely to be obese, have type 2 diabetes and alcohol-related disorders than the general population.
Patients were asked if they had taken any of six cholesterol-lowering medications, including bile acid sequestrants (another alternative to statins), fibrates, niacin (which also lower cholesterol), omega-3 fatty acids, and statins.
Statins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, bile acid sequestrants, and fibrates are medications that can help lower cholesterol levels in humans.
Most people are prescribed statins, but those who cannot take the drugs (possibly due to liver or muscle disease) may be offered an alternative.
Niacin, or vitamin B, and omega-3 fatty acids may also help lower cholesterol, according to some studies.
After adjusting for factors such as sex, body weight, smoking and diabetes, researchers found that those taking cholesterol absorption inhibitors had a lower risk of liver cancer.
Those taking other medications except omega-3 fatty acids were found to have a higher risk of cancer, but experts said this could be linked to other factors.
Having high cholesterol levels can increase the risk of liver cancer because it makes patients more likely to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
This increases the risk of scarring and inflammation in the liver, making it more likely that some cells within it will become cancerous.
Dr Katherine McGlynn, a cancer epidemiologist at the NIH involved in the study, said: ‘Because few studies have examined the effects of non-statin cholesterol-lowering drugs on liver cancer risk, the results of our study require replication in other populations.
“However, if our findings are confirmed in other studies, our results could provide information for research into liver cancer prevention.”
The data were drawn from the UK’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) database, a primary care database covering approximately seven per cent of Britons.
Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world due to hepatitis B and C infections, which are responsible for 78 percent of cases.
But it is much less common in the United States because of its vaccination campaign.
Around 41,600 new cases are diagnosed each year and 29,800 deaths occur from this cancer.
Cancer has a high mortality rate because it may not be detected until later stages, when it is more difficult to treat.