Statins could halve risk of dying from cancer, says major study

Heart attack drugs significantly increased chances of survival from common cancers such as bone, breast, bowel and ovarian, researchers found

Statins, the cheap drugs taken by millions to protect against heart attacks, may help cut the death toll from cancer, according to two American studies.

The research, presented in Chicago at the world's biggest cancer treatment conference, found statins increased women's survival from common cancers such as breast, bowel and ovarian cancer by 40%. In bone cancer, the death rate was reduced by 55%. A second study showed that men with advanced prostate cancer taking statins were also 40% less likely to die than those who were not.