Association between statin usage and mortality outcomes in aging U.S. cancer survivors: a nationwide cohort study

Background

The population of Aging cancer survivors in the United States has surged to over 16.9 million. Research on the relationship between statin usage and post-cancer survival rates remains limited.

Aims

This study aims to investigate the association between statin use and various causes of mortality among aging cancer survivors.

Methods

We analyzed NHANES data from 1999 to 2018, Statin usage, both hydrophilic and lipophilic, was derived from NHANES prescription records. We utilized Cox proportional hazards models to associate statin utilization with mortality, differentiating causes of death according to statin type and patterns of use.

Results

Within a cohort of 2,968 participants, statin usage was categorized into non-users (1,738), hydrophilic statin users (216), and lipophilic statin users (982). Compared to those who did not use statins, individuals prescribed hydrophilic statins did not show a reduced risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72–1.41; P = 0.960), as outlined in Model 3. In contrast, the group receiving lipophilic statins exhibited a notable decrease in all-cause mortality risk (adjusted HR, 0.77; P = 0.003). Nonetheless, both hydrophilic and lipophilic statins were effective in diminishing the risk associated with cancer from its onset until death, with hydrophilic statins showing a greater level of efficacy.

Discussion

The potential of statins to reduce cancer-related mortality may provide avenues for targeted clinical interventions and management strategies.

Conclusions

Our study reveals that the use of lipophilic statins is significantly associated with lower all-cause and cancer-cause mortality risks among aging cancer survivors.