Statin use and risk of pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis
A partir d'une revue de la littérature publiée jusqu'en août 2011 (16 études, 1 692 863 participants, 7 807 cas), cette méta-analyse évalue l'association entre l'utilisation de statines et le risque de cancer du pancréas
Purpose Statins are commonly prescribed medications that potently reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular events. Preclinical studies suggested statins also possess cancer chemopreventive properties. However, the clinical studies provided contradictory results as to whether statins influence the risk of pancreatic cancer. Herein, we present this meta-analysis to assess the association between statin use and risk of pancreatic cancer. Methods We conducted a comprehensive search up to August 2011 for the eligible studies. Pooled relative risk (RR) estimates and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the inverse-variance-weighted random-effects model. Subgroup analyses were conducted where data were available. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran’s Q test and the I 2 statistic. Results We included 16 studies that involving 1,692,863 participants and 7,807 pancreatic cancer cases. Pooled results only indicated a non-significant decrease of pancreatic cancer risk among all statin users (RR 0.89; 95 % CIs, 0.74–1.07). Similar results were obtained in the subgroup analyses of the long-term (more than 4 years) follow-up (RR 0.94, 0.81–1.08) and statin use (RR 0.97, 0.76–1.23), and a null association was found between lipophilic statin use and pancreatic cancer risk (RR 1.03, 0.92–1.16). No evidence of publication bias was observed in the present meta-analysis. However, significant heterogeneity was detected among all studies ( p < 0.00001, I 2 = 81 %). Conclusions In conclusion, our results suggest that there is no association between statin use and pancreatic cancer risk, when statins are taken at daily doses for cardiovascular event prevention.