Taking statins does not make you more likely to get cancer or die from cancer, even if your cholesterol is already very low.
Scientific Claim
Statin therapy does not increase the risk of cancer incidence or cancer-related death at any level of baseline vascular risk, including in individuals with LDL cholesterol below 2 mmol/L.
Original Statement
“There was no evidence that reduction of LDL cholesterol with a statin increased cancer incidence (RR per 1.0 mmol/L LDL cholesterol reduction 1.00, 95% CI 0.96–1.04), cancer mortality (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.93–1.06), or other non-vascular mortality.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The RCT design and large sample size provide high power to detect even small increases in cancer risk. The RRs are precisely estimated and centered at 1.0, supporting a definitive conclusion of no effect.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The effects of lowering LDL cholesterol with statin therapy in people at low risk of vascular disease: meta-analysis of individual data from 27 randomised trials
This big study checked if statins cause more cancer and found no link—even in people with low heart disease risk or low cholesterol levels.