Association Between Statin Use and Endometrial Cancer Survival

Obstet Gynecol. 2015 Jul;126(1):144-50. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000000926.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association of 3 hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) use and concordant polypharmacy with disease-specific survival from endometrial cancer.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 985 endometrial cancer cases treated from January 1999 through December 2009 at a single institution. Disease-specific survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analyses. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to study factors associated with survival. All statistical tests were two-sided and performed using Stata.

Results: At the time of analysis, 230 patients (22% of evaluable patients) died of disease and median follow-up was 3.28 years. Disease-specific survival was greater (179/220 [81%]) for women with endometrial cancer taking statin therapy at the time of diagnosis and staging compared with women not using statins (423/570 [74%]) (log rank test, P=.03). This association persisted for the subgroup of patients with nonendometrioid endometrial tumors who were statin users (59/87 [68%]) compared with nonusers (93/193 [43%]) (log rank test, P=.02). The relationship remained significant (hazard ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40-0.99) after adjusting for age, clinical stage, radiation, and other factors. Further evaluation of polypharmacy showed an association between concurrent statin and aspirin use with an especially low disease-specific mortality (hazard ratio 0.25, 95% CI 0.09-0.70) relative to those who used neither.

Conclusion: Statin and aspirin use was associated with improved survival from nonendometrioid endometrial cancer.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aspirin / therapeutic use
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / complications
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / mortality*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Hypercholesterolemia / complications
  • Hypercholesterolemia / drug therapy*
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Middle Aged
  • Polypharmacy
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
  • Aspirin