Statin use is linked to significantly improved survival for people with some blood cancers, according to a new study.
Statins were linked to a 61% reduced risk of cancer-specific deaths for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL), according to a study reported in Blood Advances.
The retrospective analysis of four trials of ibrutinib examined patients who were taking statins at the start of their treatment.
The researchers, led by a team from the United Arab Emirates, took pains to account for potential confounding factors, such as underlying genetic factors or illnesses that might lead to statin use. They allowed for weight, physical functioning and use of heart disease or hypertensive medications.
The project involved a study of 1,467 patients who took part in four international clinical trials between 2012 and 2019, which studied the effects of ibrutinib. 29% of the patients were taking statins at the outset of treatment. 92% of patients had CLL and 66% were male.
Statin use was linked to a 38% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, and a 26% reduction in the risk of disease progression.
Lead researcher Dr Ahmad Abuhelwa, of the University of Sharjah, said that laboratory studies now need to examine potential relationships between statins and the biology of blood cancers.
He said: “While our results are very promising, we can’t recommend starting statins for CLL/SLL treatment based on this study alone. Future clinical trials are needed to determine definitively whether statins have a direct benefit on cancer survival.
“These findings don’t allow us to say for certain that statins directly improve cancer outcomes. However, the fact that this association remained strong even after accounting for multiple factors makes it an important area for future research.”
Source:
Abuhelwa AY, Almansour SA, Brown JR, Al-Shamsi HO, Abuhelwa Z, Kharaba Z, Bustanji Y, Semreen MH, Ali SM, Alhuraiji A, McKinnon RA, Sorich MJ, Alzoubi KH, Hopkins AM. (2025) “Statin use and survival in SLL/CLL treated with ibrutinib: Pooled analysis of four randomized controlled trials.” Blood Advances, 23 April 2025, doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2024015287.
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