Table 1.
Patient characteristics (n = 518).
| Statin (n = 53) | No statin (n = 465) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median follow‐up (months) | 18.4 (11.4–38.7) | 18.7 (6.8–58.7) | 0.87 |
| Age | |||
| ≤57 | 14 (26.4%) | 258 (56.0%) | <0.0001 |
| >57 | 39 (73.6%) | 203 (44.0%) | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 41 (77.4%) | 350 (75.3%) | 0.74 |
| Female | 12 (22.6%) | 115 (24.7%) | |
| Comorbidity | |||
| Medium | 16 (30.2%) | 366 (78.7%) | <0.0001 |
| High‐very high | 37 (69.8%) | 99 (21.2%) | |
| Performance status | |||
| <70 | 5 (9.4%) | 22 (4.7%) | 0.31 |
| ≥70 | 40 (75.5%) | 380 (81.7%) | |
| Not stated | 8 (15.1%) | 63 (13.6%) | |
| Alcohol use | |||
| ≥3 drinks/day | 26 (63.4%) | 276 (76.7%) | 0.06 |
| <3 drinks/day | 15 (36.6%) | 84 (23.3%) | |
| Smoking | |||
| ≥10 pack‐year | 39 (81.2%) | 350 (79.2%) | 0.74 |
| <10 pack‐year | 9 (18.8%) | 92 (20.8%) | |
| T‐stage | |||
| T1–2 | 21 (39.6%) | 119 (25.6%) | 0.04 |
| T3–4 | 32 (60.4%) | 346 (74.4%) | |
| N‐stage | |||
| N0–1 | 31 (58.5%) | 199 (42.8%) | 0.03 |
| N2–3 | 22 (41.5%) | 266 (57.2%) | |
| Primary site | |||
| Oral cavity | 15 (28.3%) | 116 (25.0%) | 0.36 |
| Oropharynx | 18 (34.0%) | 119 (25.6%) | |
| Larynx | 12 (22.6%) | 97 (20.9%) | |
| Hypopharynx | 3 (5.7%) | 48 (10.3%) | |
| Nasopharynx | 1 (1.9%) | 27 (5.8%) | |
| Other | 4 (7.6%) | 58 (12.5%) | |
| Induction chemotherapy | |||
| Yes | 9 (17.0%) | 161 (34.6%) | 0.006 |
| No | 44 (83.0%) | 304 (65.4%) | |
| Concurrent chemotherapy | |||
| Yes | 47 (88.7%) | 313 (67.3%) | 0.0005 |
| No | 6 (11.3%) | 152 (32.7%) | |
| Post‐operative radiotherapy | |||
| Yes | 18 (34.0%) | 180 (38.7%) | 0.50 |
| No | 35 (66.0%) | 285 (61.3%) | |
| Type of statin | |||
| Lipophilic | 41 (77.4%) | N.D. | |
| Hydrophilic | 3 (5.7%) | N.D. | |
| Not stated | 9 (17.0%) | N.D. | |
Included in propensity matching: age, gender, year of diagnosis, facility, path stage grouping, path T‐stage, path N‐stage, LN > 2, LVSI, LND and site. For patient data analysis (table 1) discrete variables were compared with the Chi‐square test and differences in the medians were assessed using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, significance was defined as P < 0.05. In patients under statin treatment, variables such as age, comorbidity, T and N‐stage and succes in induction and concurrent chemotherapy, were significantly changed compared to those who where not in treatment.