Statins reduce risk of mortality in multiple myeloma

(HealthDay)—Statin therapy is associated with reduced risk of all-cause and multiple myeloma (MM)-specific mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Kristen Marie Sanfilippo, M.D., M.P.H.S., from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues identified patients diagnosed with MM between 1999 and 2013 from the Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry. Statin use was defined as the presence of any prescription for a statin within three months before or any time after MM diagnosis, and its association with mortality was assessed. Data were included for 4,957 patients, of whom 2,294 received statin therapy.

The researchers found that there was a 21 percent decrease in all-cause mortality associated with statin use, as well as a 24 percent decrease in MM-specific mortality. Across all sensitivity analyses, the correlation remained significant. Statin use was also associated with a 31 percent reduced risk of developing a skeletal-related event.

"Our findings suggest a potential role for statin therapy in patients with MM," the authors write. "The putative benefit of statin therapy in MM should be corroborated in prospective studies."

One author disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.

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