Statins Are Associated With Reduced Mortality in Multiple Myeloma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates influence pathways affected by statins.
• Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors.
• Improved survival is associated with nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates in multiple myeloma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between statin use and mortality in a large cohort of multiple myeloma (MM) patients.
• To understand the potential benefit of statins in MM treatment.
• To assess the impact of statins on skeletal-related events in MM.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 4,957 MM patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2013 was identified from the Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry.
• Statin use was defined as any prescription within 3 months before or any time after MM diagnosis.
• Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze the association of statin use with mortality, controlling for prognostic factors.

Main Results:

• Statin use was associated with a 21% decrease in all-cause mortality (aHR, 0.79; P < .001).
• Statin use was associated with a 24% decrease in MM-specific mortality (aHR, 0.76; P < .001).
• Statin use was linked to a 31% reduced risk of skeletal-related events.

Conclusions:

• Statin therapy in US veterans with MM was associated with reduced all-cause and MM-specific mortality.
• Findings suggest a potential role for statin therapy in managing MM.
• Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the benefits of statin therapy in MM.