Statins could be valuable addition to Breast Cancer treatment

Scientists have raised the possibility of using statins, drugs used for reducing cholesterol, to stop some breast cancer tumors returning.
The most common form of breast cancer uses oestrogen to grow. Drugs such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors cut off the supply of oestrogen, reducing the chances that the cancer will return after surgery. Research has shown that some early breast cancer tumours can produce a molecule made from cholesterol called 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC). It can mimic oestrogen and encourage tumors to grow.The scientists grew cancer cells in the lab in the absence of oestrogen and found they produced an alternative fuel, in the form of the cholesterol molecule. They then interfered with production of the molecule and found it slowed the cancer cells’ growth by between 30% and 50%. “This study breaks new ground in uncovering how some breast cancers continue to survive without oestrogen and suggests that women could benefit from adding statins to standard anti-hormone treatments. But this is early research and greater clinical evidence is now needed to understand the potential risks and benefits of this approach.”“This early study raises an interesting question of whether cholesterol-reducing treatment, such as statins, could help lower the chances of breast cancer returning for some women who have developed a resistance to hormone therapy.”