Objectives: The aim of this study was to clarify the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) as well as antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and antihyperlipidemic medications such as metformin and statins on survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer receiving chemotherapy.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 250 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer receiving chemotherapy. Multivariate analyses of prognostic factors for survival were performed both in overall population and in subgroups with and without DM.
Results: Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in 124 patients (50%) who had less distant metastasis and more hypertension. Thirty patients received statin for hyperlipidemia. Overall survival was 13.3 versus 10.0 months with and without DM (P = 0.084), but hazard ratio of DM was 1.05 (P = 0.758) in the multivariate analysis. Subgroup analysis of diabetic patients, but not in non-diabetic patients, demonstrated use of statins (hazard ratio, 0.40; P = 0.010) as a prognostic factor, as well as distant metastasis, performance status, combination therapy with gemcitabine and S-1, and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. No antidiabetic medications were prognostic factors.
Conclusions: Neither DM nor antidiabetic treatment had prognostic impact on advanced pancreatic cancer. Statin use was associated with better survival in the diabetic patients.