Millions of new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2018, worldwide and many of them die. Often, these deaths are not attributed to primary cancer, but to metastases. These are formed by cancer cells from the first tumor. Many researchers are now working on how to treat these metastases so that patients can be cured. And research is getting ahead of the curve. According to a study published in the journal Clinical and Translational Medicine, taking statins (drugs usually prescribed to patients with cholesterol) can reduce or even stop the spread of these metastases.
Zocor A popular Statin Drug
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MACC1 gene promotes metastatic development
Sometimes metastatic cancer develops early in the disease when the tumor is small and undiagnosed. The MACC1 gene is thought to promote metastatic proliferation in 20 types of tumors, including those found in stomach, liver, and breast cancer.
Metastatic cancer occurs when a person’s original cancer spreads to another part of the body. For example, if colon cancer metastasizes to the liver, it is metastatic colon cancer, not liver cancer. Professor Ulrike Stein and her team, who participated in the new study, have previously worked on colon cancer. More than a decade ago, they discovered that the MACC1 gene promotes the metastatic development of this disease. According to the researchers, when it is detected in cancer cells they spread more easily in the body. “Many cancers only spread in patients with high MACC1 expression,” explains Ulrike Stein.
Statins inhibit tumor formation and metastasis
Since this discovery, they have continued their research to find an inhibitor of MACC1, an element that can block the formation of metastases in the body. After several studies, they finally have the answer: statins. In their experiments, they administered them to genetically modified mice with high levels of the MACC1 gene. The results: the development of tumors and metastases was virtually suppressed in all of these rodents. “What is particularly positive is that this persisted in the animals even when we lowered the dose,” said Ulrike Stein. Thus, according to his team, these anti-cholesterol drugs stop the action of MACC1 in tumor cells and prevent the proliferation of metastases.
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To evaluate the effect of statins in humans, the researchers analyzed data from more than 300,000 patients who took them regularly. Again, the finding is very positive: “They had only half the cancer incidence of the general population,” says Robert Preißner, one of the study’s authors. However, this result is not scientific proof and the researchers emphasized that they are just at the beginning of the research. Therefore, they cannot directly translate these results to humans.” To do so, human clinical trials must be conducted in the future. In the meantime, the researchers recommend avoiding taking statins as a preventive measure without first discussing it with your doctor.
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References
Real-world evidence for preventive effects of statins on cancer incidence: A trans-Atlantic analysis
