Statin drugs deny prostate cancer cells access to needed hormones, delaying disease progression

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs were shown to delay disease progression in men with prostate cancer when statins were also initiated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), according to a clinical trial from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

In the study, men who had been taking statins since the start of ADT went a median of 27.5 months before experiencing disease progression, compared with 17.4 months for men who were not taking statins.

Laboratory studies focusing on the SLCO2B1 protein found that the protein helps a variety of drugs and hormones enter cells, including both statin drugs and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), a precursor of testosterone, the hormone that spurs prostate cancer cell growth.

Using laboratory-grown prostate cancer cell lines, the researchers found that statin drugs monopolized available SLCO2B1 thereby depriving prostate cancer cells of the hormones they need to grow.

The trial involved 926 patients, and 70% of participants experienced disease progression during a 6-year period. 

Although this mechanism by which statins may work in prostate cancer can improve patient outcomes, the researchers state that further study is needed to validate their findings.