Statin Use Linked to Lower Risks of HCC and Liver Disease Progression

A US cohort study indicated that statin use may reduce the risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and progression of chronic liver disease (CLD). The study included 16 501 CLD patients (mean age, 59.7 years, females 40.9%), with 3610 statin users and 12 891 nonusers. Compared with nonusers, statin users exhibited a significantly lower 10-year cumulative incidence of HCC (3.8% vs 8.0%, adjusted subhazard ratio [aSHR] 0.67) and hepatic decompensation (10.6% vs 19.5%, aSHR 0.78). Exposure to lipophilic statins (atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pitavastatin, and simvastatin) and duration of statin use (≥600 cumulative defined daily dose) were associated with further risk reductions in HCC and hepatic decompensation. Among 7038 patients with serial FIB-4 (an index of liver fibrosis) data, patients with intermediate baseline FIB-4 scores, 14.7% of statin users transitioned to the high group compared with 20.0% of nonusers. For patients with high baseline FIB-4 scores, 31.8% of statin users transitioned to the intermediate group and 7.0% transitioned to the low-risk group, compared to 18.8% and 4.3% of nonusers, respectively. The findings suggest that statins might be chemopreventive against HCC and CLD progression. Source: https://jamanetwork.com/