• Brian Z Huang, Jonathan I Chang, Erica Li, Anny H Xiang, and Bechien U Wu.
• Affiliations of authors: Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA (BZH, AHX); Department of Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA (JIC), and Division of Gastroenterology, Center for Pancreatic Care, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA (BUW), Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA (BZH); David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (EL).
• J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 2017 May 1; 109 (5).

BackgroundRecent studies have suggested associations between statins and enhanced survival among patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the relationship between statins, cholesterol, and survival remains unclear.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study on 2142 PDAC patients in a regional integrated healthcare system from 2006 to 2014. Electronic pharmacy records were used to abstract information on the type, length, and dosage of statin exposures starting in the year prior to diagnosis. The cumulative and individual effects of simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin on mortality were assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Statins were evaluated as any use (pre- and postdiagnosis as a time-dependent variable) and baseline use (prediagnosis only). We also evaluated whether low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, measured at various time windows prior to diagnosis, had an independent influence on survival. Additional analyses were performed to examine whether cholesterol mediated the relationship between statins and mortality. All models included age, race, stage, surgery, gemcitabine-based chemotherapy, and the Charlson comorbidity index as covariates.ResultsAny (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.79 to 0.97) and baseline (HR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79 to 0.98) statin use were both associated with a decreased risk in mortality. When assessing individual statins, we found reduced mortality among simvastatin (HR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.77 to 0.98) and atorvastatin (HR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.46 to 0.72) users. Cholesterol was not associated with mortality and did not mediate any relationships between statins and survival.ConclusionsStatin use rather than cholesterol level was associated with lower mortality risk in patients with pancreatic cancer. Statins appear to improve survival through a lipid-independent mechanism.© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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