fluvastatin and the breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Multiple studies have investigated the associations between fluvatatin and the risk of breast cancer (BC), but their results were conflicting. A meta-analysis of observational studies published regarding this subject was conducted in the present study. It aims to estimate the associations between fluvastatin use and the risk of BC. Pubmed and chinese national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) database was searched up to January, 2015 to identify eligible observational studies, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess quality of the studies. Pooled relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated (fixed effect model: Mantel-Haenszel). Heterogeneities were evaluated before the calculation. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted. In total, four studies contributed to the analysis. Overall, fluvastatin use negatively correlated with BC risk (RR = 0.74, 95 % CI = 0.58, 0.95). In conclusion, fluvastatin use may reduce the risk of BC, but more research is needed to confirm this finding.