Statin use and malignant progression in non-dysplastic Barrett's
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A nested case-control study to investigate if statin use is inversely associated with the risk of high-grade dysplasia or oesophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with non-dysplastic Barrett's oesophagus.
IRAS ID
207008
Contact name
Leo Alexandre
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Patients with a particular cancer of the gullet, oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), generally have a very poor prognosis. Most unfortunately cannot be cured, have a poor quality of life, and die very quickly. Measures to prevent this cancer are urgently required. Barrett's oesophagus is the only known premalignant condition for OAC. Patients with Barrett's oesophagus have a 30-50 fold increased risk of developing OAC. There is emerging laboratory evidence to suggest that statins, common medications used in the prevention of heart disease, have potential preventive effects against the development of OAC. The aim of this research is see if statin use reduces the chance of developing cancer in patients with known Barrett's oesophagus. This study will compare statin use recorded in medical records in patients with Barrett's oesophagus who did and did not develop this cancer. This research involves no direct patient contact but will rely on data collection from medical records. If this study suggests a potential protective effect of statins then a clinical trial may be developed to prove whether they are effective preventive drugs.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1741
Date of REC Opinion
14 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion