A recent study has found that use of statins considerably decreases cancer-related mortality among patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
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Research analysis involved 10,821 NAFLD patients who
participated in eight rounds of the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES). Mortality data were gathered by connecting the NHANES data to
National Death Index.
There were 2,523 participants who were statin users
(23 percent). The Multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that compared
with non-users of statins, users had a 43 percent lower risk of cancer
mortality.
Conversely, shorter duration of statin use failed to
confer a benefit. Particularly, less than 1 year of statin use revealed no
significant effect on cancer mortality, whereas use for 1 to 5 years cut the
results by 35 percent and for those greater than 5 years it cuts the outcome by
56 percent.
Survival rate was apparent in NAFLD patients at either
low or high risk of liver fibrosis.
Provided that statin indications are predominant among NAFLD patients, the current data may help clinical decision making, as many patients do not receive benefit in the event that the statin is discontinued due to liver test abnormalities. For complete details of the study, click here.
Source: Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021;doi:10.1097/MCG.0000000000001503