A new U.K. study published online Aug. 4 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that Statins, the widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs, may also boost colorectal cancer survival. Early research has found that, overall, colon cancer patients who took statins such as Lipitor and Zocor had a 29 percent lower risk of dying from the cancer compared to non-users. Taking the drugs longer than a year reduced the risk even more, researchers said.

By improving cholesterol levels, statins can slow the formation of plaques in the arteries leading to the heart. Exactly how they might reduce death risk from colon cancer isn't known, the researchers said. However, based on other research they speculated that the statins might prevent normal cells from turning into cancer cells or might kill cancer cells.