Statins and Venous Thromboembolism In Lung Cancer

Dyslipidemia plays a major role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis which may also contributed to an increased risk of and thromboembolism from the injury of the vascular endothelium and its activation of platelets, thereafter, the coagulation cascade. It has been well-established that the use of statins in patients with dyslipidemia reduces cardiovascular events and mortality, therefore, improves survival. In addition to a cholesterol-lowering effect, statins exhibit antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties that may confer a protective benefit to an increased risk of thromboembolism in cancer patients. Several case-controlled studies reported that cancer patients receiving long-term statins, but not other non-statin lipid lowering treatment, had a lower incidence of venous thromboembolism.

To investigate any protective benefit from statin use in lung cancer patients, we have conducted this retrospective, case-controlled study. Total of 1548 patients with lung cancer were included from the tumor registery at Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan, between January 1999 and December 2004. The data were extracted from available electronic medical records of these patients. Statistical analyses were performed and stratified for statin users versus non statin users.

Out of 1,548 patients, 315 patients (average age was 68, range 46–90) were statin users at the time of their lung cancer diagnosis. The remaining 1233 patients (average age was 65.9, range 29–94) were non- statin users. After stratifying for statin use, 25 of the 315 statin users developed DVT/PE (7.9%), while 100 of the 1233 non-statin users developed DVT/PE (8.1%). This potential benefit from statin use can also be better visualized from comparing the development of DVT/PE between the statin and non-statin groups in a Kaplan-Meier curve for the probability of freedom from DVT/PE across time. Though statistical significance was not reached (log-rank p-value = 0.377), a trend towards a slightly decreased incidence of DVT/PE onset in the patients who receiving statin as the lipid-lowering agent has been observed.

Based on our preliminary data, statin use in patients with lung cancer has demonstrated a weak but favorable protective effect on the development of a venous thromboembolism. The nature as a retrospective study and not well-balanced two group of patients (e.g., the average age of statin users were 2 years older than the non-statin users) may limit our results from reaching statistical significance. In addition, some of the patients who had no clear documentation of their home medications had also been categorized as non-statin users in our study. The results from our final data analysis will be presented.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.