Oncologic impact of statin use on patients treated with hepatectomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Aim: Currently, the only recognized curative treatment for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is surgical resection. However, the impact of various clinical factors, including patient history and pharmacological interventions, on survival outcomes is still not fully understood. We aimed to bridge this knowledge gap by identifying clinical determinants that may influence the prognosis of ICC after surgical resection.

Methods: We conducted a study on 172 patients who underwent hepatectomy for ICC between 2010 and 2019. We evaluated patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and whether patients were on statin therapy. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to analyze overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), whereas multivariate analysis was utilized to identify prognostic factors.

Results: Statin use was associated with significantly improved OS and RFS. The mean OS was 90.5 months in the statin group compared to 59.9 months in the statin-naive group (p = 0.001). Similarly, RFS was longer in the statin group (77.3 vs. 48.1 months; p = 0.006). Subgroup analyses demonstrated consistent benefits of statin use across different age groups and genders. Multivariate analysis identified statin use as an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.29-0.82, p = 0.007) and RFS (HR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36-0.98, p = 0.043).

Conclusions: Statin therapy may be a potentially favorable medication for patients undergoing hepatectomy for ICC. However, further evaluation of its clinical benefits is required, and additional studies are recommended.