Do Statins Impact Mortality in Patients with Multiple Myeloma?

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving statins had reduced mortality, according to a study published in Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma & Leukemia.

Researchers assessed a nationally representative sample of patients with MM who were diagnosed between 2007 and 2013 via the SEER-Medicare database. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes were used to identify comorbidities and treatments. Researchers assessed the association between statin use and mortality in patients with MM using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. They also conducted a subanalysis on the effects of statins in patients receiving novel MM therapy.

The study included 5,922 patients. Use of statins was associated with 21% reduced risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74-0.84) among all patients with MM. Among the patents treated with novel agents (n=3,603), statins reduced mortality to a lesser degree, by 10% (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.98).

“Our current study is the first one to support the survival benefit of statins in patients with MM treated with modern-day regimens based on novel agents, although it appears the benefit may not be as pronounced. Therefore, as MM regimens become more effective, the benefits of statins may diminish,” the researchers concluded.