Statins in oncological research: from experimental studies to clinical practice.
Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology. 2014-12-01; 92(3): 296-311
DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2014.08.002
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Kubatka P(1), Kruzliak P(2), Rotrekl V(3), Jelinkova S(3), Mladosievicova B(4).
Author information:
(1)Department of Medical Biology, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin,
Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
(2)Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, International Clinical Research Centre,
St. Anne’s University Hospital and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Electronic address: .
(3)Department of Biology, Medical Faculty, Masaryk University and International
Clinical Research Centre, St. Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.
(4)Institute of Clinical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius
University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors are commonly
used drugs in the treatment of dyslipidemias, primarily raised cholesterol.
Recently, many epidemiological and preclinical studies pointed to anti-tumor
properties of statins, including anti-proliferative activities, apoptosis,
decreased angiogenesis and metastasis. These processes play an important role in
carcinogenesis and, therefore, the role of statins in cancer disease is being
seriously discussed among oncologists. Anti-neoplastic properties of statins
combined with an acceptable toxicity profile in the majority of individuals
support their further development as anti-tumor drugs. The mechanism of action,
current preclinical studies and clinical efficacy of statins are reviewed in this
paper. Moreover, promising results have been reported regarding the statins’
efficacy in some cancer types, especially in esophageal and colorectal cancers,
and hepatocellular carcinoma. Statins’ hepatotoxicity has traditionally
represented an obstacle to the prescription of this class of drugs and this issue
is also discussed in this review.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.