Prognostic value of statin for cancer patients: A Meta-analysis.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the effect of statins on prognosis for patients with cancers.


Methods: Literature on PubMed, EMbase and Cochrane library was screened from the establishment of databases to March, 2015 to find relevant studies. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between statin use and all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality.


Results: A total of 25 studies covered 523 193 patients were identified and included in this Meta-analysis. The pooled effect showed that statin application was associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in cancer patients (HR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.76 to 0.89). A significantly decreased mortality in prostate cancer was revealed in subgroup by cancer sites (HR, 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.83). In addition, sensitivity analysis demonstrated a weakened association between statin application and all-cause mortality after excluding the studies with shorter follow-up duration (HR, 0.91; 95% CI: 0.75 to 1.10).


Conclusion: A beneficial effect of statin on all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality is presented in patients with cancer. However, further studies are needed to confirm the long term effect.