title: Statin use and survival following glioblastoma multiforme.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  While some studies indicate a potential chemopreventive effect of statin use on the risk of glioma, the effect of statins on the prognosis of brain tumours has not yet been examined. We thus conducted a cohort study evaluating the influence of statin use on survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified 1562 patients diagnosed with GBM during 2000-2009 from the Danish Cancer Registry and linked this cohort to Danish nationwide demographic and health registries. Within the GBM cohort, each patient recorded as using statins prior to diagnosis (defined as ≥ 2 redeemed prescriptions) was matched to two statin non-users (<2 redeemed prescriptions) by propensity scores based on age, gender, year of diagnosis, comorbidity, and use of selected drugs. Cox proportional hazard models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all-cause death associated with prediagnostic statin use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 339 GBM patients were included in the analyses. Of these, 325 died during median follow-up of 6.9 months (interquartile range: 3.8-13.4 months). Prediagnostic statin use was associated with a reduced HR of death (0.79; 95% CI: 0.63-1.00). The HRs decreased with increasing duration or intensity of prediagnostic statin use [long-term (≥ 5 years) statin use: HR 0.75 (95% CI: 0.47-1.20); high-intensity statin use: HR 0.66 (95% CI: 0.44-0.98)]. Additional adjustment for oncotherapeutic modalities yielded similar results (overall HR 0.80, 95% CI: 0.63-1.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term prediagnostic statin use may improve survival following GBM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Electronic address: dgaist@health.sdu.dk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gaist
authors.affiliation: Clinical Pharmacology, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Electronic address: jhallas@health.sdu.dk.
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallas
authors.affiliation: Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: friis@cancer.dk.
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friis
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Odense University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Electronic address: steinbjoern.hansen.ouh@rsyd.dk.
authors.forename: Steinbjørn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: hts@clin.au.dk.
authors.forename: Henrik Toft
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Sørensen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
keywords: Brain tumour epidemiology; Cohort study; Glioblastoma multiforme; Glioma; Risk; Statins