Concomitant statin use does not impair the clinical outcome of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma treated with rituximab-CHOP

Influence of Statins on the Survival Outcomes of Patients with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Previous studies evaluating the influence of statins on the survival of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) showed inconsistent results. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether statin use is correlated with the survival of DLBCL patients.

METHODS

Related cohort studies were obtained by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane's Library, and Web of Science databases. Study characteristics and outcome data were extracted independently by two authors. The random-effect model was used for meta-analysis, considering the possible influence of between-study heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Eight studies involving 9927 patients with DLBCL were included. Results did not show significant associations of statins with overall survival (OS, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69∼1.11, p=0.27; I ² = 60%) or progression-free survival (PFS, HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.72∼1.17, p=0.49; I ² = 23%) in these patients. Subgroup analyses suggested that statin was be associated with survival of DLBCL patients from Asia (HR for OS: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.91∼1.56, p=0.19, I ² = 2%; HR for PFS: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.89∼1.44, p=0.33, I ² = 0%), but was associated with significantly improved survival of patients from Western countries (HR for OS: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.66∼0.81, p < 0.001, I ² = 0%; for PFS, HR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.53∼0.96, p=0.03, I ² = 0%), which fully explained the heterogeneity (p for subgroup difference <0.05). Variables such as study design, patient age, and study quality were not shown to affect the findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, statins did not affect the survival of patients with DLBCL. However, statin use may be associated with an improved survival rate of DLBCL patients from Western countries.

Statins enhance the chemosensitivity of R-CHOP in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

The beneficial effect of statins on the anti-lymphoma activity of the rituximab-based chemotherapy regimen is controversial. Here, we retrospectively reviewed patients with naïve-treated advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) receiving frontline R-CHOP, and for whom data regarding differential statins use was available at the time of initiation of treatment. We observe that patients treated with statins and R-CHOP experienced a significantly higher CR rate as compared to those who received R-CHOP only. We further show that patients receiving medium or high intensity statins and R-CHOP experienced a significantly higher CR as compared to those treated with R-CHOP. Six-year progression free survival was higher for patients who received medium or higher intensity statins as compared to low or no statins. The potential contribution of cholesterol pathway in doxorubicin sensitivity was supported by in vitro/in vivo studies. Our study suggests that targeting cholesterol-using lovastatin could be a therapeutic strategy to enhance responses to R-CHOP in DLBCL patients.

Statin use and survival in 16 098 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia treated in the rituximab era

Statin use has been associated with reduced mortality from several cancers but also suggested, in vitro, to diminish the effectiveness of lymphoma treatments including rituximab. The present study aimed to assess the association of statin use with mortality in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). We identified all incident NHLs and CLLs in Sweden from 2007 to 2013 with subtype information in the Swedish Lymphoma and Cancer Registers. Using Cox regression, we estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of pre- or post-diagnosis statin use (yes/no, intensity) with lymphoma-specific, cardiovascular, or all-cause mortality; and for follicular lymphoma (FL) by initial treatment strategy (active/watch-and-wait). Among 16 098 incident NHL/CLL patients, 20% used statins at diagnosis. Pre- and post-diagnosis statin use, and statin intensity were not consistently associated with any mortality outcome in patients with NHL, overall or for any subtype. For actively treated patients with FL, statin use did not appear to increase lymphoma-specific mortality (vs. non-users, HR [95% CI]_{after diagnosis} 0·87 [0·45-1·67]). For CLL, statin use was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular but not consistently with lymphoma-specific mortality. In conclusion, statin use was not associated with improved lymphoma survival but appears safe to use during lymphoma treatment.

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular disease risk management in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammatory joint disorders: 2015/2016 update

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory joint disorders (IJD) have increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk compared with the general population. In 2009, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) taskforce recommended screening, identification of CVD risk factors and CVD risk management largely based on expert opinion. In view of substantial new evidence, an update was conducted with the aim of producing CVD risk management recommendations for patients with IJD that now incorporates an increasing evidence base. A multidisciplinary steering committee (representing 13 European countries) comprised 26 members including patient representatives, rheumatologists, cardiologists, internists, epidemiologists, a health professional and fellows. Systematic literature searches were performed and evidence was categorised according to standard guidelines. The evidence was discussed and summarised by the experts in the course of a consensus finding and voting process. Three overarching principles were defined. First, there is a higher risk for CVD in patients with RA, and this may also apply to ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. Second, the rheumatologist is responsible for CVD risk management in patients with IJD. Third, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids should be in accordance with treatment-specific recommendations from EULAR and Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society. Ten recommendations were defined, of which one is new and six were changed compared with the 2009 recommendations. Each designated an appropriate evidence support level. The present update extends on the evidence that CVD risk in the whole spectrum of IJD is increased. This underscores the need for CVD risk management in these patients. These recommendations are defined to provide assistance in CVD risk management in IJD, based on expert opinion and scientific evidence.

Statin use is safe and does not impact prognosis in patient with de novo follicular lymphoma treated with immunochemotherapy: An exploratory analysis of the PRIMA cohort study

An adverse prognostic impact of statin use in lymphoma was first suspected from in vitro data showing an impairment of anti-CD20 antibody binding. However, further clinical studies suggested an improved outcome associated with their use in hematological malignancies. In particular, a survival benefit was reported for patients with follicular lymphoma on statins. Our objective was to assess the outcome of follicular lymphoma patients treated in the PRIMA study with immunochemotherapy according to the use of statins. Among the 1,217 patients enrolled in the PRIMA study, 1,135 were included in the present study. Concomitant treatments at registration were available for all patients. Among those 1,135 patients, 119 were on statins (10.5%) at diagnosis. Adverse events frequencies, event-free survival (EFS), time to next lymphoma treatment (TTNLT), time to next chemotherapy (TTNCT), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated according to the use of statins. The rates of overall and specific cardiovascular adverse events between the two groups of patients were comparable both during induction and maintenance. Outcome in terms of response rates or EFS, TTNLT, TTNCT, and OS were similar regardless of the use of statins (P = 0.57, P = 0.85, P = 0.30, and P = 0.43, respectively) in univariate analysis and after further adjustments for potential confounding factors in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, statin use does not impact the prognosis of patients with follicular lymphoma treated with immunochemotherapy.

Follicular lymphoma: first-line treatment without chemotherapy for follicular lymphoma

Opinion statement: The optimal initial treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL) is not known, and initial management of patients varies considerably between providers and institutions. The assertion that patients with low tumor burden can be observed for a period of time is being challenged owing to the safety and tolerability of novel therapeutics and the movement of the field away from traditional chemotherapy agents. Single agent rituximab has become increasingly popular as initial management of patients with low tumor burden disease, and there is evidence that prolonged treatment with rituximab can improve progression-free survival (PFS) when compared to induction with rituximab or observation. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has similarly shown efficacy in low tumor burden disease. Novel agents such as lenalidomide, idelalisib, and ibrutinib are being studied in the first-line setting. Importantly, none of these strategies have demonstrated an improved overall survival in a randomized study versus observation. It is the opinion of the authors that endpoints such as PFS alone, while important, should not drive changes in management with limited resources. Composite endpoints including quality of life are more informative on the true impact of treatments on patients with follicular lymphoma. Providers should encourage all patients to be treated in the context of an appropriate clinical trial when possible. If a patient is not a clinical trial candidate, we typically treat patients with advanced stage and high tumor burden with chemoimmunotherapy. The decision to give maintenance rituximab is individualized to the patient, as there is no overall survival benefit. In patients with early stage disease, we favor consideration of radiation therapy if the patient is a candidate. Our initial recommendation to patients with advanced stage, low tumor burden disease, is close observation or "watch and wait." We have observed that most patients become comfortable over time with an observation approach. If a patient is not comfortable with this recommendation, we will use single agent rituximab. If the patient responds to therapy, we do not recommend maintenance rituximab in low tumor burden disease but rather prefer a retreatment strategy or an extended schedule of four additional doses of rituximab.

Associations between statin use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk and survival: a meta-analysis

Evidence on the effect of statin use on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is not clear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the associations between statin use and NHL risk and survival. We searched multiple literature sources up to October 2014 and identified 10 studies on the risk of diagnosis with NHL and 9 studies on survival. Random effects model was used to calculate pooled odds ratio (PORs) for risk and pooled hazard ratio (PHR) for survival. Heterogeneity among studies was examined using the Tau-squared and the I-squared (I² ) tests. Statin use was associated with reduced risk for total NHL (POR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.69-0.99). Among statin users, there was a lower incidence risk for marginal zone lymphoma (POR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.31-0.94), but this was not observed for other types of NHL. However, statin use did not affect overall survival (PHR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.99-1.06) or event-free survival (PHR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.87-1.12) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. There is suggestive epidemiological evidence that statins decrease the risk of NHL, but they do not influence survival in NHL patients. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Statin use and mortality in cancer patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have examined the effect of statin use on the mortality in cancer patients, but the results are inconsistent. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the association with all available studies.

METHODS

Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE to April 2015. We calculated the summary hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effects models. We estimated combined HRs associated with defined increments of statin use, using random-effects meta-analysis and dose-response meta-regression models.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine cohort studies and two case-control studies involving 990,649 participants were included. The results showed that patients who used statins after diagnosis had a HR of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.72-0.91) for all-cause mortality compared to non-users. Those who used statin after diagnosis (vs. non-users) had a HR of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.66-0.88) for cancer-specific mortality. Prediagnostic exposure to statin was associated with both all-cause mortality (HR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.74-0.85) and cancer-specific mortality (HR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.60-0.79). Stratifying by cancer type, the three largest cancer-type subgroups were colorectal, prostate and breast cancer and all showed a benefit from statin use. HRs per 365 defined daily doses increment were 0.80 (95% CI: 0.69-0.92) for all-cause mortality and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.67-0.89) for cancer-specific mortality. A 1year increment in duration only conferred a borderline decreased risk of death.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the average effect of statin use, both postdiagnosis and prediagnosis, is beneficial for overall survival and cancer-specific survival.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors as adjuvant treatment for hematologic malignancies: what is the current evidence?

Statins have been shown to possess properties that go beyond their lipid-lowering effects. These agents act on the mevalonate pathway and inhibit synthesis of cholesterol, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, and farnesyl pyrophosphate, which are necessary for posttranslational modification of the Rho, Rac, and Ras superfamily of proteins. Early phase studies have demonstrated that this modulation of cellular signaling can ultimately exert pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic, and immunomodulatory effects, and might even restore chemosensitivity in several hematologic cancers. Nonetheless, these promising preclinical results have not yet migrated from the bench to the bedside as their effectiveness as adjuvant agents in hematologic malignancies is currently uncertain. In the present review, we summarize the existing evidence stemming from preclinical and clinical studies pertaining to the use of statins as adjuvant therapies in hematologic malignancies, and discuss the new insights gained from the ongoing translational research.

Direct Effect of Rituximab in B-Cell–Derived Lymphoid Neoplasias: Mechanism, Regulation, and Perspectives

The anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab is the backbone of treatment for the B-cell malignancies non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. However, there is a wide variability in response to rituximab treatment, and some patients are refractory to current standard therapies. Rituximab kills B cells by multiple mechanisms of action, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, which are immune-mediated mechanisms, as well as by direct effects on cell signaling pathways and cell membranes following CD20 binding. A large number of events that are affected by rituximab binding have been identified, including lipid raft modifications, kinase and caspase activation, and effects on transcription factors and apoptotic/antiapoptotic molecules. Studies on cell lines and isolated tumor cells have shown that by targeting these pathways, it may be possible to increase or decrease susceptibility to rituximab cell killing. An increased understanding of the direct effects of rituximab may therefore aid in the design of new, rational combinations to improve the outcome of CD20-based therapy for patients who currently have suboptimal outcome following standard treatments. Mol Cancer Res; 9(11); 1435–42. ©2011 AACR.

Effect of concomitant statin, metformin, or aspirin on rituximab treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Several pre-clinical studies report that statins interfere with the surface binding of rituximab to CD20. This study investigated the effects of statins in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) receiving rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy, and the impact of commonly used drugs, metformin and aspirin, on the clinical outcomes of patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy. We included 213 patients with DLBCL who received rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy. Details of statin, metformin, and aspirin use and initiation of chemoimmunotherapy were abstracted from medical records. All patients received rituximab, and 47 (22.1%) were taking statins. The median age of patients receiving statins was significantly higher compared to those who did not (p <0.001). Response rates between patients receiving and not receiving statins were not significantly different (85.1% vs. 87.3%; p = 0.688). Event-free survival (EFS) was not significantly different (p = 0.352). Overall survival was lower in patients receiving statins compared to those who did not (p = 0.036). However, it was no longer significant after adjustment for age (p = 0.140). Metformin had no impact on the response rate (p = 0.268), EFS (p = 0.574), and overall survival (p = 0.141). Aspirin had no impact on the response rate (p = 0.784), EFS (p = 0.836), and overall survival (p = 0.779). Statins do not interfere with rituximab, and need not be withheld during rituximab administration. Larger studies are needed to confirm the impact of metformin and aspirin on patients with DLBCL receiving chemoimmunotherapy.

Expression of glucose transporter-1, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase B (Akt) in relation to [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in nasopharyngeal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a case report and literature review

This report presents a case of nasopharyngeal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and a literature review concerning the use of [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). A 37-year old man was admitted to hospital complaining of nasal secretions with minor epistaxis and a 20-year history of snoring. Nasal endoscopy found diffuse swelling in the nasopharynx and a biopsy was performed. Prior to chemotherapy, FDG-PET/CT showed soft tissue diffuse thickening and FDG accumulation in the nasopharynx and bilateral cervical lymph nodes; FDG did not accumulate elsewhere. After four cycles of chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclo phosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine) and prednisone treatment, FDG-PET/CT showed that FDG still accumulated in the nasopharynx and bilateral cervical lymph nodes, therefore radiotherapy was initiated. At 1 year, FDG-PET/CT showed no FDG accumulation. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the tumour was positive for phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt), suggesting that FDG uptake may be associated with factors activated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signalling pathway.

Inhibition of geranylgeranylation mediates sensitivity to CHOP-induced cell death of DLBCL cell lines

Prenylation is a post-translational hydrophobic modification of proteins, important for their membrane localization and biological function. The use of inhibitors of prenylation has proven to be a useful tool in the activation of apoptotic pathways in tumor cell lines. Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (Rab GGT) is responsible for the prenylation of the Rab family. Overexpression of Rab GGTbeta has been identified in CHOP refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Using a cell line-based model for CHOP resistant DLBCL, we show that treatment with simvastatin, which inhibits protein farnesylation and geranylgeranylation, sensitizes DLBCL cells to cytotoxic treatment. Treatment with the farnesyl transferase inhibitor FTI-277 or the geranylgeranyl transferase I inhibitor GGTI-298 indicates that the reduction in cell viability was restricted to inhibition of geranylgeranylation. In addition, treatment with BMS1, a combined inhibitor of farnesyl transferase and Rab GGT, resulted in a high cytostatic effect in WSU-NHL cells, demonstrated by reduced cell viability and decreased proliferation. Co-treatment of BMS1 or GGTI-298 with CHOP showed synergistic effects with regard to markers of apoptosis. We propose that inhibition of protein geranylgeranylation together with conventional cytostatic therapy is a potential novel strategy for treating patients with CHOP refractory DLBCL.