Cancer link fuels Vytorin debate

By STEVE STERNBERG USA TODAY • July 25, 2008 A study that unexpectedly linked the heart drug Vytorin to excess cancer deaths has provoked controversy among heart specialists worried that the drug's risks may outweigh its benefits. The study, called SEAS, was designed to test whether Vytorin could prevent severe, age-related heart valve problems by sharply reducing cholesterol. But lead investigator Terje Pedersen of Ulleval University Hospital in Oslo reported Monday that the study turned up a "disturbing" link to cancer. At that same session, Oxford University experts released a separate analysis, comparing SEAS data with two other ongoing studies and concluded that the cancer link wasn't "credible." The debate rages on, with prominent heart specialists reluctant to discount the cancer risk. "Evidence like this should raise... [read full story]