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Statin therapy and postoperative short‐term mortality after rectal cancer surgery
Author(s) -
Pourlotfi Arvid,
Ahl Rebecka,
Sjolin Gabriel,
Forssten Maximilian Peter,
Bass Gary A.,
Cao Yang,
Matthiessen Peter,
Mohseni Shahin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
colorectal disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.029
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1463-1318
pISSN - 1462-8910
DOI - 10.1111/codi.15481
Subject(s) - medicine , statin , propensity score matching , colorectal cancer , retrospective cohort study , comorbidity , cancer , surgery , population , cancer registry , environmental health
Aim This study aimed to assess the correlation between regular statin therapy and postoperative mortality following surgical resection for rectal cancer. Method This retrospective cohort study included all adult patients undergoing abdominal rectal cancer surgery in Sweden between January 2007 and September 2016. Data were gathered from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry, a large population‐based prospectively collected registry. Statin users were defined as patients with one or more collected prescriptions of a statin within 12 months before the date of surgery. The statin‐positive and statin‐negative cohorts were matched by propensity scores based on baseline demographics. Results A total of 11 966 patients underwent surgical resection for rectal cancer, of whom 3019 (25%) were identified as statin users. After applying propensity score matching (1:1), 3017 pairs were available for comparison. In the matched groups, statin users demonstrated reduced 90‐day all‐cause mortality (0.7% vs. 5.5%, p < 0.001) and also showed significantly reduced cause‐specific mortality due to cardiovascular and respiratory events, as well as sepsis and multiorgan failure. The significant postoperative survival benefit of statin users was seen despite a higher rate of cardiovascular comorbidity. Conclusion Preoperative statin therapy displays a strong association with reduced postoperative mortality following surgical resection for rectal cancer. The results from the current study warrant further investigation to determine whether a causal relationship exists.