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    Ann Intern Med. 2009 Jan 6;150(1):9-18.

    Association between statin use and risk for keratinocyte carcinoma in the veterans affairs topical tretinoin chemoprevention trial.

    Dore DD, Lapane KL, Trivedi AN, Mor V, Weinstock MA.

    i3 Drug Safety, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA. david.dore@i3drugsafety.com

    BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that statins may prevent cancer. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between statin use and the occurrence of keratinocyte carcinoma in high-risk veterans. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: 6 Veterans Affairs medical centers. PARTICIPANTS: 1037 participants of the Veterans Affairs Topical Tretinoin Chemoprevention Trial, a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial of topical tretinoin, 0.1%, for prevention of keratinocyte carcinoma conducted from November 1998 to November 2004. MEASUREMENTS: Time to first occurrence of keratinocyte carcinoma on the face or ears. Participants using a statin at randomization, according to the Veterans Affairs Pharmacy Benefits Management database, were considered exposed. Study dermatologists conducted physical examinations at baseline and every 6 months during follow-up. The association between statin use at randomization and the outcome was evaluated by using propensity score matching (n = 608) and Cox proportional hazards regression (n = 1037). RESULTS: Among the 1037 participants, 37% used a statin at randomization (n = 397) for a median duration of at least 900 days over a median follow-up of 3.5 years. In the propensity score-matched analysis, statin use at randomization was not associated with keratinocyte carcinoma (rate ratio, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.73 to 1.16]), a finding that was consistent with the estimates derived from the Cox proportional hazards regression (rate ratio, 0.84 [CI, 0.70 to 1.02]). Limitations: The extent of residual confounding is unknown, and the confidence bounds around the measures of association were wide. These data may not be generalizable to lower-risk populations. CONCLUSION: These data show no conclusive or consistent relationship between long-term statin use and risk for keratinocyte carcinoma.

    PMID: 19124815 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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    Patient drug information

    • Tretinoin (Vesanoid®)

      Tretinoin is used to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL; a type of cancer in which there are too many immature blood cells in the blood and bone marrow) in people who have not been helped by other types of chemother...

    • Tretinoin Topical (Avita®, Renova® Emollient, Retin-A®, ...)

      Tretinoin is used to treat acne. It promotes peeling of affected skin areas and unclogs pores. Tretinoin controls acne but does not cure it.