Effect of statin use on outcomes of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

To assess the impact of statin use on outcomes of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). To measure the effect of statin use on the efficacy of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy.

A retrospective analysis was performed on 1117 patients treated with transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) for NMIBC at three institutions between 1996 and 2007. Statin use at the time of diagnosis was recorded for each patient. Univariable Cox regression models addressed the association of statin use with disease recurrence, disease progression, cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality in all patients, patients with primary NMIBC, patients not treated with BCG, and patients treated with BCG.

Overall, 341 patients (30.5%) used statins and 776 (69.5%) did not. Within a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 62.7 (25.0-110.7) months, 469 patients (42.0%) experienced disease recurrence, 103 (9.2%) progression, 50 (4.5%) cancer-specific mortality, and 299 (26.8%) any-cause mortality. In univariable Cox regression analyses, statin use was not associated with any of these four endpoints (P > 0.05 for all). In subgroup analyses, statin use was also not associated with prognosis in patients with primary NMIBC or patients not receiving BCG (P > 0.05 for all four endpoints). Statin use was not associated with response to BCG (P > 0.05 for all four endpoints).

Statin users did not experience different outcomes compared with non-users and statin use did not affect the efficacy of BCG immunotherapy; these data do not support modification or discontinuation of statin therapy for patients with NMIBC.