BACKGROUND:

Previous studies investigating the association between statin use and pancreatic cancer (PDAC) risk for a possible chemopreventive effect gathered heterogeneous results.

AIMS:

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify this association.

METHODS:

Comprehensive literature search of articles published up to February 2018, including case-control (CC),cohort studies (C), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing association between statin use and PDAC risk. Studies had to report odds ratio (OR)/relative risk (RR), estimates with 95% confidence interval (CI), or provide data for their calculation. Pooled ORs with 95%CIs were calculated using random effects model, publication bias through Begg and Mazumdar test and heterogeneity by I2 value.

RESULTS:

27 studies(13 CC, 9C, 5 RCTs) for a total population of 11,975 PDAC/3,433,175 controls contributed to the analysis. The overall pooled result demonstrated a reduced PDAC risk among statin users (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.60-0.82; p < 0.0001), compared to non-users. Sensitivity analyses suggested the risk reduction to be more important in CC studies, studies conducted in Asia and Europe, in males and atorvastatin users. No publication bias found.

CONCLUSIONS:

The present meta-analysis suggests that statin use is associated with an overall PDAC risk reduction of 30%. Further studies are needed to clarify the association.