Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33064241›Full record

ArticleCancer causes & control : CCC2021

Digoxin use is associated with pancreatic cancer risk but does not affect survival.

Ben Boursi, Jared S Huber, Kevin Haynes, Ronac Mamtani, Yu-Xiao Yang

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer causes & control : CCC, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 46% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Uncovering hypothesis-generating associations between prescription drugs and digestive cancer risk: a case-control drug-wide association study (DWAS).Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Ben BoursiDivision of Gastroenterology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. ben.boursi@sheba.health.gov.il.
Jared S HuberCenter for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Kevin HaynesCenter for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ronac MamtaniCenter for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Yu-Xiao YangDivision of Gastroenterology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
University of Pennsylvania · USTel Aviv University · IL

Funding

Institutional Clinical and Translational Science AwardUL1TR000003 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI FITZGERALD, GARRET A · 2012 to 2015
$38.9M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1TR000003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeDigoxin affects several cellular pathways involved in tumorigenesis. We sought to determine the association between digoxin use and pancreatic cancer risk and survival.

methodsA nested case-control study using The Health Improvement Network (THIN), a population-representative database from the United Kingdom (UK). Cases included all individuals with incident diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Each case was matched to up to four controls using incidence density sampling based on age, sex, practice site, calendar time, and duration of follow-up. Exposure of interest was digoxin therapy before cancer diagnosis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between digoxin use and pancreatic cancer risk were estimated using conditional logistic regression. We further conducted a retrospective cohort study among pancreatic cancer cases using Cox regression model in order to evaluate the association between digoxin use and overall survival.

resultsWe identified 4,113 cases with incident pancreatic cancer and 16,072 matched controls. The adjusted OR for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer among active digoxin users was 1.41 (95% CI 1.16-1.72). The risk did not change among active users with duration of therapy of more than 1 year (adjusted OR of 1.39, 95% CI 1.11-1.76). Digoxin was not associated with change in overall survival with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.97 (95% CI 0.81-1.18).

conclusionsDigoxin use was associated with modestly increased pancreatic cancer risk but did not affect overall survival.

Indexed as

AgedDigoxinFemaleHumansIncidenceLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedPancreatic NeoplasmsRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsUnited KingdomDigoxinCancer survivalDigoxinPancreatic cancer

Identifiers

PMID33064241
OpenAlexW3092745341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.