Aspirin plus statin equates to greater reduction in liver cancer risk

Daily aspirin use already exhibits a protective signal against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but a recent study reports that concomitant use of statin can lead to a greater risk reduction without increasing the incidence of oesophageal variceal haemorrhage (VH).

The study examined the effect of concurrent use of aspirin and statin on the incidence of HCC, as well as to identify if it posed a risk of VH. The analysis included a prospective cohort of 521 patients with liver cirrhosis.

Alone, aspirin use produced a reduction in the incidence of HCC both in the univariate (hazard ratio [HR], 0.348, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.124–0.976; p=0.0448) and multivariate (HR, 0.266, 95 percent CI, 0.094–0.755; p=0.0129) models.

Interestingly, the risk of HCC further decreased when aspirin and statin were taken concomitantly (univariate model: HR, 0.15, 95 percent CI, 0.036–0.624; p=0.0090). This association remained statistically significant in the multivariable model (HR, 0.113, 95 percent CI, 0.026–0.483; p=0.0033).

In terms of safety, daily aspirin users were not at heightened risk of VH compared with nonusers.

The findings indicate a potential beneficial interaction between aspirin and statin in relation with HCC risk. More studies are needed to validate the present data.