Concomitant Statin Use Has a Favorable Effect on Gemcitabine-Erlotinib Combination Chemotherapy for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

• Published in: Yonsei medical journal Vol. 57; no. 5; pp. 1124 - 1130
• Main Authors: Moon, Do Chang, Lee, Hee Seung, Lee, Yong Il, Chung, Moon Jae, Park, Jeong Youp, Park, Seung Woo, Song, Si Young, Chung, Jae Bock, Bang, Seungmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Yonsei University College of Medicine 01.09.2016; 연세대학교의과대학
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - drug therapy; Adenocarcinoma - secondary; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Deoxycytidine - administration & dosage; Deoxycytidine - analogs & derivatives; Disease-Free Survival; Erlotinib Hydrochloride - administration & dosage; Female; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Original; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Retrospective Studies; Survival Rate; Young Adult; 의학일반; gemcitabine; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors; pancreatic neoplasms; erlotinib
• ISSN: 0513-5796; 1976-2437; 1976-2437
• DOI: 10.3349/ymj.2016.57.5.1124

Erlotinib-gemcitabine combined chemotherapy is considered as the standard treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to determine the clinical factors associated with response to this treatment. This retrospective study included 180 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer who received ≥2 cycles of gemcitabine-erlotinib combination therapy as first-line palliative chemotherapy between 2006 and 2014. "Long-term response" was defined as tumor stabilization after >6 chemotherapy cycles. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 3.9 and 8.1 months, respectively. On univariate analysis, liver metastasis (p=0.023) was negatively correlated with long-term response. Locally advanced stage (p=0.017), a history of statin treatment (p=0.01), and carcinoembryonic antigen levels <4.5 (p=0.029) had a favorable effect on long-term response. On multivariate analysis, a history of statin treatment was the only independent favorable factor for long-term response (p=0.017). Prognostic factors for OS and PFS were significantly correlated with liver metastasis (p=0.031 and 0.013, respectively). A history of statin treatment was also significantly associated with OS after adjusting for all potential confounders (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.92; p=0.026). These results suggest that statins have a favorable effect on "long-term response" to gemcitabine-erlotinib chemotherapy in unresectable pancreatic cancer patients. Statins may have a chemoadjuvant role in stabilizing long-term tumor growth.