Statin Use and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: An Updated Meta-analysis of 26 Studies

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between statin use and the risk of pancreatic cancer. Methods Electronic databases were searched to identify relevant studies published until January 2018. The pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with random-effects model. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis were also conducted. Cochran Q test and I2 statistic were used to evaluate the heterogeneity. Results Twenty-six studies were included that contained more than 3 million participants and 170,000 pancreatic cancer patients. The overall result demonstrated a significant decrease in pancreatic cancer risk with statin use (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73–0.97; P = 0.000; I2 = 84.4%). In subgroup analyses, nonsignificant association was detected between long-term statin use and the risk of pancreatic cancer (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.86–1.11; P = 0.718; I2 = 0.0%). Meanwhile, there was nonsignificant association between the use of lipophilic statins and the risk of pancreatic cancer (RR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.84–1.15; P = 0.853; I2 = 27.2%). No publication bias was found in this meta-analysis. Conclusions The overall result of this meta-analysis supports the hypothesis that statins have a protective effect on pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, high-quality randomized clinical trials and cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings.