Statin use and risk of lymphoid neoplasms: results from the European Case-Control Study EPILYMPH.
BACKGROUND
Statins, drugs used to treat dyslipidemia, may have anticancer properties. We have evaluated lymphoma risk associated with regular statin use in an international case-control study.


METHODS
This case-control study included 2,362 cases of incident B- and T-cell lymphoma from Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain and 2,206 hospital or population controls. Information on drug use, diagnosis at admission (for hospital controls), and putative risk factors for lymphoma was collected with personal interviews. Hospital controls admitted for diseases possibly entailing use of statins were excluded from the analysis.


RESULTS
The odds ratio for regular statin use was 0.61 (95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.84); all major lymphoma subtypes showed similarly decreased risks. Decreased risks were observed in all centers. Duration of statin use was not associated with a greater reduction in the risk of lymphoma. Use of other lipid lowering drugs, such as fibrates, did not significantly modify the risk of lymphoma (odds ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-1.27).


CONCLUSIONS
Statin use was associated with an important reduction in lymphoma risk, adding to the growing evidence of anticancer properties of this group of drugs. These results are reassuring for the increasing number of patients taking statins on a regular basis.
Fortuny
Joan
J
Servei d'Epidemiologia i Registre del Càncer, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Gran Via Km 2.7, 08907 L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Autonomous University of Barcelona [corrected] Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
de Sanjosé
Sílvia
S
Becker
Nikolaus
N
Maynadié
Marc
M
Cocco
Pier Luigi
PL
Staines
Anthony
A
Foretova
Lenka
L
Vornanen
Martine
M
Brennan
Paul
P
Nieters
Alexandra
A
Alvaro
Tomàs
T
Boffetta
Paolo
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016015:Logistic Models; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors