Effect of Statins on Gastric Cancer Incidence: a Meta-analysis of Case Control Studies

Introduction: Gastric cancer is among the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, especially in Eastern Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. Statin is one of the most widely used medications for hypercholesterolemia. Several meta-analyses have failed to determine the relationship between statins and gastric cancer.

Aims: A meta-analysis of case control studies is conducted to evaluate the association of statin exposure and risk of gastric cancer.

Materials And Methods: Eight electronic databases (The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (Issue 12, 2012), PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, CNKI, CBM, CSJD and Wanfang Database) were searched for relevant publications through September 2013. Two reviewers determined the eligibility of articles and abstracted the data independently. RevMan 5.2 software was used for statistical analysis.

Results: 146 items were retrieved from the databases and 6 studies were identified in this meta-analysis, which included 5,993 cases and 54,800 matched controls. RESULTS from the meta-analysis demonstrated that statins were inversely related to the risk of gastric cancer (RR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.35-0.90). There was no significant difference for cumulative duration of statin exposure and gastric cancer, nor participants from Asia, Europe, or USA.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that statins have favorable effects on gastric cancer, rigorously designed and executed observational studies and randomized control trials with longer duration of follow-up are warranted to determine effects in clinical practice.