Statin use and the risk of colorectal cancer： A population-based case-control study

AIM： To investigate whether the use of statins is associated with colorectal cancer risk. METHODS： We conducted a population-based case-control study in Taiwan. Data were retrospectively collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Cases consisted of all patients who were aged 50 years and older and had a first-time diagnosis of colorectal cancer between the period 2005 and 2008. The controls were matched to cases by age, sex, and index date. Adjusted odds ratios （ORs） and 95% confidence intervals （CIs） were estimated using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS： We examined 1156 colorectal cancer cases and 4624 controls. The unadjusted ORs for any statin prescription was 1.10 （95% CI = 0.94-1.30） and the adjusted OR was 1.09 （95% CI = 0.91-1.30）. When statin use was categorized by cumulative dose, the adjusted ORs were 0.99 （95% CI = 0.78-1.27） for the group with cumulative statin use below 105 defined daily doses （DDDs）; 1.07 （95% CI = 0.78-1.49） for the group with cumulative statin use between 106 and 298.66 DDDs; and 1.30 （95% CI = 0.96-1.75） for the group with cumulative statin use of 298.66 DDDs or more compared with nonusers. CONCLUSION： This study does not provide support for a protective effect of statins against colorectal cancer.