Article Text
PostScript
Letter
Effect of statins on cancer in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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We read with interest the article by van Gestel et al1 reporting a protective effect of statins on cancer mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and suggest here a plausible explanation.
Consistent with the literature, the study shows that COPD is associated with an elevated risk of lung cancer. Recently, we reported that COPD is pre-existing in 70% of lung cancer cases compared with 15% in unselected matched smokers.2 We agree with van Gestel et al1 that this link is likely to be secondary to a …
Footnotes
Competing interests None to declare.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; not externally peer reviewed.
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