Meta-analysis: statins cut risk of advanced colorectal adenoma

(HealthDay)—Statins seem not to be associated with the risk of colorectal adenoma, but are associated with reduced risk of advanced adenoma, according to a review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 23 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Yoon Suk Jung, from the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the correlation between statin use and the risk of colorectal adenoma. Data were analyzed from six studies with 13,239 patients.

The researchers found that across included studies, the median proportion of patients with any adenoma was 29.7 percent for those taking statins and 31.2 percent for those not taking statins. Among those taking statins, the median proportion with advanced adenomas was 7.7 percent, compared with 11.3 percent in those not taking statins. Statin use was not significantly associated with the risk of any adenoma in meta-analysis (pooled relative risk, 0.901; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.735 to 1.104); however, statin use was correlated with a reduced risk of advanced adenoma (pooled relative risk, 0.833; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.750 to 0.925).

"Statin use seems to be associated with a reduced risk of advanced adenoma, but not any adenoma," the authors write. "Statins may prevent neoplastic progression of adenomas rather than the development of adenomas."

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