Prognostic value of statin for cancer patients: 
A Meta-analysis

To systematically evaluate the effect of statins on prognosis for patients with cancers.

Literature on PubMed, EMbase and Cochrane library was screened from the establishment of databases to March, 2015 to find relevant studies. Random-effects models were used to calculate the pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between statin use and all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality.

A total of 25 studies covered 523 193 patients were identified and included in this Meta-analysis. The pooled effect showed that statin application was associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in cancer patients (HR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.76 to 0.89). A significantly decreased mortality in prostate cancer was revealed in subgroup by cancer sites (HR, 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.83). In addition, sensitivity analysis demonstrated a weakened association between statin application and all-cause mortality after excluding the studies with shorter follow-up duration (HR, 0.91; 95% CI: 0.75 to 1.10).

A beneficial effect of statin on all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality is presented in patients with cancer. However, further studies are needed to confirm the long term effect.