Statins 'could be valuable addition to breast cancer treatment'

Research shows some early tumours can produce molecule made from cholesterol which can mimic oestrogen

Scientists have raised the possibility of using statins - drugs used for reducing cholesterol - to stop some breast cancer tumours returning.

The most common form of breast cancer uses oestrogen to grow. Drugs such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors cut off the supply of oestrogen, reducing the chances that the cancer will return after surgery. But about 12,000 of the 40,000 diagnosed oestrogen-receptor positive (ER-positive) cancers still recur every year.