Reporter brief

In an 88,516-person Korean cohort study using target trial emulation to minimize bias, patients who initiated statins within 6 months of colorectal cancer treatment had slightly lower CRC-specific mortality (HR 0.95) and all-cause mortality (HR 0.96) compared to those who did not initiate statins. The absolute 60-month difference was small: 1.1 percentage points for CRC-specific mortality and 2.4 percentage points for all-cause mortality. The protective effect was substantially smaller than reported in conventional observational analyses, suggesting earlier studies overstated benefits due to time-related and censoring biases.

Assessment pending; this report does not establish a change in evidence.

• —Limitations have not been recorded; consult the primary source.

Cohort; Human.

Eligible adults with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer (CRC) and no statin prescriptions in the prior 6 months. Mean age 62.7 years (SD 11.7); 63.7% male (56,424 of 88,516 patients). Data from Korean National Health Insurance Service claims from January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2015.

Design

Cohort

Sample

88,516

Journal

JAMA Network Open

Published

Sep 1, 2026

CRC-specific mortality: HR 0.95 (95% CI, 0.92-0.99); all-cause mortality: HR 0.96 (95% CI, 0.93-1.00). 60-month absolute differences: CRC-specific mortality 1.1 pp (95% CI, -0.1 to 2.3 pp); all-cause mortality 2.4 pp (95% CI, 1.0-3.8 pp).

• —Assessment: Superseded.
• —Only the source material recorded on this evidence page was assessed.

Not recorded.

See the Statins timeline and recorded assessment for prior evidence.