Takeaway
- Statin use was significantly associated with reductions in the risk of hepatocellular cancer (HCC).
- Risk reduction was greater in patients with diabetes and liver cirrhosis.
Why this matters
- Findings provide additional evidence supporting the beneficial inhibitory effect of statins on HCC incidence.
Study design
- 24 observational studies involving 59,073 patients with HCC met eligibility criteria after a search across PubMed, EMBASE and other databases.
- Funding: The Ministry of Education and Science and Technology.
Key results
- Statin users vs nonusers were at lower risk of HCC development (risk ratio [RR], 0.54; 95% CI, 0.47-0.61; I2=84.39%).
- In the secondary analysis, statin use vs no use was associated with a reduced risk of HCC in patients:
- with (RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.28-0.70) and without (RR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.48-0.69) diabetes mellitus;
- with (RR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.30-0.42) and without (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.35-0.71) liver cirrhosis; and
- antiviral therapy (RR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.08-0.59).
- In the subgroup analysis, risk reduction was greater with:
- fluvastatin (RR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.25–0.66);
- lovastatin (RR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21–0.86);
- rosuvastatin (RR 0.47, 95% CI: 0.26–0.84).
- Higher cumulative doses of statins use were associated with greater risk reductions vs lower cumulative doses of statins.
Limitations
- Heterogeneity among studies.
- Risk of potential confounding.
References
References