A: A new study examined the possibility that a cholesterol medicine that combines the drugs ezetimibe and simvastatin (a pill marketed by the brand name Vytorin) might slightly raise the risk of dying from cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study on September 25. The study included 1,873 people. Half received Vytorin and half received a placebo (sugar pill). The main purpose of the study was to see if taking Vytorin improved heart health. It did not. But researchers were even more dismayed by an unexpected finding.
The group taking Vytorin had more prostate cancers, cancers in the digestive tract, skin cancers, and other cancers than the group taking the placebo. There were 39 deaths from cancer in the Vytorin group, compared with only 23 deaths among the people taking the placebo. Previous studies seemed to rule out the link between statin drugs, such as simvastatin, and cancer. Therefore, suspicion fell on ezetimibe, the other drug in Vytorin.
One additional study suggested a slightly increased cancer risk from ezetimibe. That study did not involve the drug simvastatin.
The cancer concerns for ezetimibe are minor. Nevertheless, there are growing worries that ezetimibe may do more harm than good in the end. Doctors have not seen a clear benefit from using ezetimibe or combination pills such as Vytorin to lower cholesterol.
Simvastatin, like other statins, has been shown to have a clear benefit to heart health when it is used alone (not packaged in combination with ezetimibe). Doctors are not concerned about simvastatin being a cause of cancer.
My advice would be to continue your simvastatin, if you and your doctor have decided that you need this medicine to improve your cholesterol.
