Statin users have a 14% increased risk of melanoma

This study was published in Cancer 2012 Mar 20

Study title and authors:
Prospective analysis of association between use of statins and melanoma risk in the Women's Health Initiative.

Jagtap D, Rosenberg CA, Martin LW, Pettinger M, Khandekar J, Lane D, Ockene I, Simon MS.
Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22434400

Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer. This study examined the association between statin use and the risk of melanoma. The study consisted of 119,726 postmenopausal white women who were followed for 11.6 years.

The study found that statin users had a 14% increased risk of melanoma compared to nonusers.

A research scientist notes that statins are also associated with a rise in non-melanoma skin cancer and liver cancer. See the article here.