Table 2.
Summary of clinical studies investigating the association of cholesterol with breast cancer
| Reference | Study type | Results | Measure of association* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touvier 2015 [33] | Meta-analysis | Cholesterol associates with a reduced risk of breast cancer: total cholesterol (dose response) Total cholesterol (highest vs. lowest) HDL-C (dose–response) HDL-C (highest vs. lowest) |
HR, 0.94; 95%CI, 0.89–0.99
HR, 0.82; 95%CI, 0.66–1.02 HR, 0.81; 95%CI, 0.65–1.02 HR 0.82; 95%CI, 0.69–0.98 |
| Bahl 2005 [52] | Prospective | Higher total cholesterol associates with a trend towards increased risk of recurrence | p = 0.03 |
| Carter 2017 [35] | Retrospective | Hyperlipidaemia associates with a reduced risk of breast cancer | OR, 0.67; 95%CI, 0.48–0.92 |
| Ha 2009 [39] | Retrospective | Positive association between cholesterol levels and breast cancer: In postmenopausal women (age-adjusted model) In postmenopausal women after adjusting for BMI |
p-trend = 0.0024
p-trend = 0.0684 |
| Borgquist 2017 [53] | Phase III | Cholesterol-lowering medication associates with improved: Disease-free-survival Breast cancer-free interval Distant recurrence-free interval |
HR, 0.79; 95%CI, 0.66–0.95
HR, 0.76; 95%CI, 0.60–0.97 HR, 0.74; 95%CI, 0.56–0.97 |
| Li 2016 [55] | Meta-analysis | Dietary cholesterol associates with increased risk of breast cancer | RR, 1.29; 95%CI, 1.06–1.56 |
| Hu 2012 [57] | Population-based | Association of high cholesterol intake with risk of breast cancer: Postmenopausal women Premenopausal women |
OR, 1.48; 95%CI, 1.07–2.07
OR, 1.10; 95%CI, 0.75–1.72 |
| Undela 2012 [65] | Meta-analysis (observational studies) | Statin use does not significantly impact breast cancer risk Long-term statin use does not significantly impact breast cancer risk |
RR, 0.99; 95%CI, 0.94–1.04 RR, 1.03; 95%CI, 0.96–1.11 |
| Mansourian 2016 [66] | Meta-analysis (observational studies) | Statin use associates with reduced: Breast cancer recurrence Breast cancer mortality |
OR, 0.79; 95%CI, 0.73–0.85
OR, 0.84; 95%CI, 0.82–0.87 |
| Islam 2017 [38] | Meta-analysis (observational studies) | Statin use does not associate with reduced breast cancer risk | RR, 0.94; 95%CI, 0.86–1.03 |
*Statistically significant associations are highlighted in italics