BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the United States for both men and women. The overall best method to avoid lung cancer is not to smoke, but new research suggests there may be an additional way to reduce the risk.

Doctors studied more than 480,000 patients in eight states, some of whom had lung cancer. They found that people taking a type of cholesterol-lowering drug called a statin had a reduced risk of lung cancer.

Only people who took the statin for six months or longer had a lower risk, but the benefit appeared to be as much as a 50 percent reduced chance of lung cancer. The advantage of statin use was much the same no matter how old people were, how much they weighed, or whether they smoked.

The findings look promising, but more research is needed. Most of the people in this study were men, so the benefits in women are unclear. Some of the reduction in lung cancer risk could be due to other lifestyle factors like a better diet or more exercise.