Statin use may be associated with a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a Taiwanese population study published in the International Journal of Cancer.1
In a retrospective, population-based cohort study, researchers led by Mei-Jyh Chen, MS, MD, of the National Taiwan University College of Public Health in Taipei looked at 1,140,617 patients with type 2 diabetes from the National Health Insurance Research database from 1997 to 2010.
“The aim of this study was to determine whether statin use exerts a protective effect against pancreatic cancer in type 2 diabetes patients,” the authors wrote.
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In total, 2,341 patients with newly-diagnosed pancreatic cancer were identified in the diabetic cohort upon follow-up.
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Among the observed patient population, 450,282 patients were defined as statin users, and 0.14% of them had pancreatic cancer, while 690,335 were defined as non-statin users with 0.25% who had pancreatic cancer.
Upon adjusting for multiple confounders, statin use was found to be linked with a significantly decreased risk of pancreatic cancer, as well as a dose-effect for risk of pancreatic cancer.
Reference
1. Chen M-J, Tsan Y-T, Liou J-M, et al. Statins and the risk of pancreatic cancer in type 2 diabetic patients—a population-based cohort study. [published online ahead of print August 31, 2015]. Int. J. Cancer. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29813.
