Differences in discontinuation of statin treatment in women and men with advanced cancer disease

BACKGROUND: Statins are often discontinued in patients with advanced cancer since the net effect of treatment is considered negative. However, guidelines concerning discontinuation of statin treatment are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate any differences in time of discontinuation of statin treatment between men and women with advanced cancer disease. METHODS: Medical records from 195 deceased palliative cancer patients from a previous study cohort were reviewed. Patients treated with statins 2 years before death were identified as “statin users.” The time of discontinuation of statin therapy was identified and correlated to time of death. Only patients that had incurable cancer disease at time of statin discontinuation were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients were identified as statin users, 29 women and 25 men. The average time span between discontinuation of statin treatment and time of death was significantly longer in women than in men, 10 months compared to 4 months (p < 0.01), with a range of 1–24 months among women and 1–12 months for men. All patients died due to their cancer disease. More men than women had a history of stroke or cardiac infarction (p = 0.02). There were no differences in age, socioeconomic factors, or survival time from study inclusion between men and women. There was no difference in self-assessed quality of life (QoL) between statin users who had discontinued statin treatment and those who are still on treatment. Men generally assessed their QoL lower than women in this study (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Statin treatment was discontinued earlier in women than in men in patients with advanced cancer. The data suggest that statins may be discontinued earlier in men as well, since earlier discontinuation did not affect cardiovascular mortality.