Atorvastatin and aortic stiffness during anthracycline-based chemotherapy: secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Anthracyclines have been associated with increased vascular stiffness, a major factor associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Secondary analysis of a double-blind, randomized clinical trial (‘statins to preven the cardiotoxicity from anthracyclines’; STOP-CA) at 9 centers in the USA and Canada investigated whether atorvastatin treatment is associated with attenuation of the anthracyline-associated increase in aortic stiffness. In this analysis of 300 participants with lymphoma, atorvastatin treatment was associated with significant lower odds of an increase (≥0.8 m per second) in MRI-derived aortic arch pulse wave velocity over 12 months, compared with placebo. The proportion of participants meeting this primary exploratory endpoint was significantly lower with atorvastatin (5%) than with placebo (50%). The authors conclude that these findings suggest that atorvastatin treatment is associated with preserved vascular function in patients undergoing anthracycline treatment.