Research

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide with a steady increase in the number diagnosed. Comparable to this increased incidence, obesity is a pressing public health concern and the positive association between a more obese body constitution on breast cancer risk has convincingly been demonstrated. Obesity associated alterations in circulating lipids/cholesterol might partly link the association between obesity and breast cancer. However, the epidemiological linkage remains poorly understood. Interestingly, cholesterol-lowering statins have received substantial attention in the field of cancer research. So far, statins have been shown to decrease proliferation and increase apoptosis of breast cancer cells. These effects need verification in the clinical setting. Further, no studies have investigated the effects in normal breast cells, which is of foremost importance to understand the potential role of statins in breast cancer initiation and thus prevention.