Statin use and the risk of renal cell carcinoma in 2 prospective US cohorts

BACKGROUND: Statins are widely used cholesterol-lowering agents that may have potential antitumor effect. Epidemiological studies on statin use and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk have been inconsistent. METHODS: The authors investigated the association between statin use and RCC risk in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In total, 80,782 women and 37,869 men were followed for 14 years and 16 years, respectively. Regular statin use was assessed at baseline and was updated biennially during follow-up. RCC diagnosis was confirmed by medical record review. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-seven incident RCC cases (164 women and 113 men) were identified. Compared with no current use, the multivariate relative risks of current statin use were 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.46-1.00) in women and 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 0.75-1.82) in men. The results for ever versus never users of statins were similar. No dose-response relation with duration of statin use and RCC risk was observed. On subgroup analyses, statin use was associated with a reduced RCC risk among women who had no history of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The current study indicated that statin use may be associated with a lower risk of RCC in women, although these results need to be investigated further. Cancer 2012; 118: 797-803. (C) 2011 American Cancer Society.