While colorectal cancer survival has doubled over the past 40 years, the five-year survival rate remains only 65%. Previous studies have suggested that statins may inhibit the proliferation of, and induce apoptosis in, colorectal cancer cells, although the exact mechanism of this phenomenon is unknown. Some have suggested that, as statins activate the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway, this mechanism may explain their efficacy. This study evaluated the effect of statins as an adjunctive therapy in colon cancer.

All subjects were diagnosed with colon cancer between 2002 and 2007, selected from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry in the Southern region of the Netherlands. Data were collected concerning the use of statins, as well as the cause of death. Tissue was retrieved from 1，026 colon cancer patients who had undergone surgical resection to determine BMP status. Those subjects considered statin users had been prescribed statins for 14 days or more after colon cancer diagnosis. Survival was compared with statin use.

During follow-up, 465 deaths were recorded. The five-year, overall survival rate for nonusers was 54.6%, while that for statin users was 65.7% (P＝0.001). Statin use after diagnosis was associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause (P＝0.003), and a reduced risk of death from cancer (P＝0.007). The reduced risk of death associated with statin use after diagnosis was more prominent in those with tumors that exhibited intact BMP signaling than for those with nonintact BMP expression.

This study of patients with colorectal cancer found that the use of statins after diagnosis improves survival.