Statin use and Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-analysis of its Association with Incidence in the General Population and Survival in Patients

PurposeStatins have been appearing as a potential anti-cancer agent in numerous studies. The study aimed to unravel the impact of statins in pancreatic cancer in terms of reducing the occurrence (morbidity) and improving survival (mortality).MethodsA comprehensive search of databases was carried out to collect the eligible studies up to July 2024. This meta-analysis evaluates two distinct questions: (1) whether statin use reduces the incidence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in the general population, and (2) whether statins improve survival among patients diagnosed with PDAC. In total, 39 studies were included in the meta-analysis, comprising 15 case-control studies, 20 cohort studies, three randomized controlled trials, and one non-randomized controlled trial. A generic inverse variance weighted random-effects model was applied to calculate the pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the availability of relevant information.ResultsIn the total meta-analysis, aggregated results demonstrated a substantial decrease in pancreatic cancer risk in all statin users (RR 0.94; 95% CIs, 0.90-0.97, and p-value = 0.0008). The pooled risk ratio estimate of lipophilic statins was 0.97 (95% CI, 0.87-1.07; P = 0.50; I2 = 0.0%). The estimated pooled risk ratios of long-term and short-term statin use were 0.80 (95% CI, 0.69-0.92; P = 0.002; I2 = 42%) and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.70-1.06; P = 0.15; I2 = 96%), respectively. For long-term and short-term follow-up, the risk ratios were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.70-0.94; P = 0.007; I2 = 55%) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.90-1.02; P = 0.16; I2 = 26%), respectively. As for the studies collectively, heterogeneity was tested using the Cochrane chi square test (p-value = = 0.40, I2 = 4%). No publication bias was found.ConclusionThe overall outcome of the study indicates that statins might lower the occurrence and increase the survival of PDAC patients.