Taking statins ‘may protect heart from damage during breast cancer treatment’

File photo: Rui Vieira/PA

Statins – a type of medication used to lower cholesterol – may protect women’s hearts from damage while they undergo treatment for early-stage breast cancer, a study suggests.

Chemotherapies with anthracycline, as well as the targeted cancer medicine trastuzumab, are commonly used to treat breast cancer but can be toxic to the heart.