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Red Yeast Rice is a widely available well proven used natural statin. Its active ingredient monocolin k is the source of lovastatin, the original lipophilic class drug still in large scale use. These work by reducing levels of enzymes needed for cholesterol production. A prescription for atorvastatin or simvastatin might, for some, be even more effective. Though with higher risk for side effects in some treatment regimes. Studies report red yeast rice is highly absorbed and 3mg monocolin K in a typical dose has a effect equal to 10mg pharma grade lovastatin. Exactly as with most newer oncology drugs, there is a compelling need to target their use to specific cancers and patient cases.
Illustrating differing findings in breast cancer patient data, a 2021 report highlighted significant risk reductions focused in early stage triple negative type (TNBC) cancers. A more recent study showed that all types of breast cancer patients could see reduced risk when statin initiation resulted in substantial lowering of cholesterol. Meaning in effect these patients are “responders”. In that 2023 Finnish breast cancer study data ER+, PR- and HER2+ positive patients with localized disease approximately half the progression risk – for about 80% of post diagnostic statin users that experienced lowered cholesterol levels. (Highlights). And a similar survey of patients in Norway found 16% reduced risks for statin users, higher for ER- and TNBC types. A New Zealand-based study found post-diagnostic statin use and reduced risk around 26% mainly in ER positive patients, postmenopausal women, and those with advanced-stage disease. Overall, those that benefit from statins do so even for all cause mortality.
A high quality analysis of swedish ulcerative colitis patients statin use vs the incidence and progression of colorectal cancer in was published recently. Results showed post diagnosis risk reductions of approximately a half, and about a third lower all cause mortality (Highlight 3). Analysis on liver cancers found about 15% risk reductions, while in gastric cancer case history some reports find 1/3 to 2/3 improved relative survival rates (see References)
Most published data finds improved outcomes in prostate cancer, typically 25 to 30% relative risk improvement. For instance, large meta-analysis from 2022 reports overall risk reductions of 27%. Clinical trials report very differing results, as indeed is true with many new oncology drugs. Importantly, and in contrast to drugs, there are small studies showing important reductions to oncology side effects with lovastatin, showing better recovery from prostatectomy. In advanced kidney cancer, similar analysis shows around 22% relative risk reductions with statin use. At least one trial shows improved outcomes with TKI treatment in clear cell kidney cancer. (see References). Some studies show risk reduction are greatest for pre-diagnosis users, and those who respond with reduced cholesterol levels. Not all research confirms these effects in pre-diagnostic use though.
There is good evidence for the anti-metastatic actions of statins including red yeast rice. Some research report increased in effects when combined with low dose aspirin but also high dose omega 3 and the lesser known nattokinase enzyme supplements used in cardiovascular health especially risk of clotting. (click the icon for references). Some statin users experience negative cognitive side effects. Even though research evidence finds no connection, combinations can be a good option for many and its important to seek out trusted brands. There are also commerical products such as Berberol K that usefully combine red yeast rice with berberine and have quality guarantees on refinement.
Statins can reduce risk for serious side effects in some areas but not all. Particularly cardiovascular events. Studies there include with chemotherapy for lymphoma and targeted inhibitors for HER2+ breast cancer
In terms of cancer prevention, a large scale dual center meta-analysis shows about a 25% typical risk reduction and lovastatin use halves cancer incidence with low dose aspirin. A new 2024 large scale meta-analysis finds reduced cancer rates for 21 types due to statin use. (see Examples). After comparisions with 38 multi-national studies, the publication lends highest weight of evidence to prostate, gastric and liver cancer prevention.
Next, we examined the association of incident statin use with outcomes according to statin type and statin intensity stratified by TNBC versus non-TNBC status… Among individuals with TNBC, we observed a statistically significant association between incident use of Lipophilic-statins and improved Overall Survival (HR, 0.66) [Hazard Ratio], with a directionally consistent effect on BCSS [breast cancer specific survival] (SHR, 0.5). When examining statin intensity, high-intensity statin us...
In this comprehensive cohort study, the inverse association between statin use and BC mortality was partly mediated by underlying cholesterol level. The risk decrease by statin use was clear only when the serum cholesterol level decreased simultaneously, although the subgroup analyses were limited by low statistical power. This finding suggests that serum cholesterol may be an important factor in BC and that the previously reportd inverse association between statin use and BC mortality is lik...
..statin use was associated with a lower risk of incident CRC [colorectal cancer], CRC-related mortality, and all-cause mortality…The benefits were duration-dependent, with a significantly lower risk after ≥2 years of use. The inverse association for incident CRC and CRC-related mortality were only observed in patients with UC [Ulcerative Colitis]..diagnosed with IBD at age <50 years, for CRC-related mortality in colon cancer, and in early-stage CRC. The benefits for all-cause mort...
This systematic review and meta-analysis studied the association between statin use and survival outcomes in men using androgen-ablative therapies for advanced prostate cancer. In pooling data from 25 cohorts and 119 878 men, we identified an association of statin use with a 27% overall mortality and 35% PCSM benefit.. Subgroup analyses suggested a preferential advantage for men receiving ARATs. These findings were not driven by any single cohort, withstood robust sensitivity analyses, and ...
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| https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.33797 | 5 | Next, we examined the association of incident statin use with outcomes according to statin type and statin intensity stratified by TNBC versus non-TNBC status (Table 2). Among individuals with TNBC, we observed a statistically significant association between incident use of L-statins and improved OS [overall surivival] (HR, 0.66) [hazard ratio], with a directionally consistent effect on BCSS [breast cancer specific survival] (SHR, 0.5). When examining statin intensity, high-intensity statin use had the strongest effect on OS among individuals with TNBC (HR, 0.25), with insufficient events to examine BCSS in this group. | In our analysis, we observed a strong association between new-onset statin therapy postdiagnosis and improved outcomes among individuals with TNBC. TNBC accounts for 10% to 20% of all breast cancer diagnoses and is associated with a poor prognosis because of the high rate of distant metastases, more limited effective treatment options, poor response rates, and poor treatment durability.31 Limited prior studies have investigated the association between statin therapy and outcomes in patients with TNBC. A recent institutional study in 869 patients with TNBC found a nonstatistically significant protective effect of statin use on the risk of death from breast cancer (relative risk, 0.70) | |
| https://breast-cancer-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13058-023-01697-2 | 5 | A total of 26,190 patients were included. Of these 7591 (29%)...were post-diagnostic users of low-dose aspirin, statins, and metformin, respectively. The median follow-up was 6.1 years.. HRs [Hazard Ratios] for use, compared to no use, were estimated at 0.96 ( 0.84 [all breast cancers] for statins (ER+: HR = 0.95....ER−: HR = 0.77, | An association with longer BC-specific survival was found among patients aged < 70 years (HR = 0.82..), patients with regional disease (HR = 0.80.., and chemotherapy users (HR = 0.79). In addition, an indication of an association with longer BC-specific survival was found among the patients with TNBC (HR = 0.74). | |
| https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00359-0/fulltext | 5 | During a median follow-up of 5.6 years, 70 statin users (incidence rate (IR): 21.2 per 10,000 person-years) versus 90 non-statin users (IR: 29.2) [nearly 30% lowered risk of CRC] ..The benefit for incident CRC was duration-dependent...: as compared to short-term use (30 days to <1 year), the adjusted odd ratios were 0.59 for 1 to <2 years of use, 0.46 for 2 to <5 years of use, and 0.38 for ≥5 years of use Compared with non-users, statin users also had a decreased risk for CRC-related mortality (IR: 6.0 vs. 11.9 [nearly 2X lower]and all-cause mortality (IR: 156.4 vs. 231.4) [33%] | In this nationwide cohort, statin use was associated with a lower risk of incident CRC, CRC-related mortality, and all-cause mortality. The NNT to avoid one incident CRC, CRC-related death, and any death within 10 years after statin initiation was 227, 200, and 21, respectively. The benefits were duration-dependent, with a significantly lower risk after ≥2 years of use. The inverse association for incident CRC and CRC-related mortality were only observed in patients with UC, in patients diagnosed with IBD at age <50 years, in patients with longer IBD duration, for CRC-related mortality in colon cancer, and in early-stage CRC. The benefits for all-cause mortality were consistently observed regardless of sex, IBD subtype, age at IBD diagnosis, and disease duration, suggesting the benefits of using statin may apply to a broad at-risk population. | |
| https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-022-09192-1 | 5 | Statins increase the disease-free survival of patients with HCC after liver surgery. These drugs seem to have chemoprevention effects that decrease the probability of HCC recurrence after liver transplantation or liver resection....Patients who received statins had a lower rate of recurrence after liver surgery (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.44–0.63; p < 0.001). Moreover, Statins decreased the recurrence 1 year after surgery (OR: 0.27), 3 years after surgery (OR: 0.22), and 5 years after surgery (OR: 0.28) | We showed that the recurrence was lower at one, three, and 5 years after surgery in patients with HCC who underwent liver surgery in combination with statin treatment than in patients who underwent liver surgery without statin treatment. These results indicate that statins should be considered effective at reducing the recurrence of HCC tumors. Statins may reduce the risk of cancer via several mechanisms, including inhibiting oncogenic pathways, promoting tumor-specific apoptosis, inhibiting the proteasome pathway, inhibiting hepatitis virus replication, and reducing cholesterol synthesis . Statins can also decrease endothelial dysfunction, intrahepatic vasoconstriction, inflammation, and fibrosis | |
| https://www.jto.org/article/S1556-0864(20)30712-7/fulltext | 4.5 | participants who used aspirin, statin, and metformin in combination greater than or equal to 547.5 days exhibited the lowest risk for lung cancer (aHR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.33–0.73) and associated mortality (aHR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.22–0.81). Although the combined use of aspirin and statin (aHR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.00–1.24), aspirin and metformin (aHR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.37), and statin and metformin (aHR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01–1.58) wase associated with slightly higher lung cancer mortality when any use was considered, these associations disappeared or even reversed when the cutoff for the duration of medication use was 182.5 days or higher | Interestingly, the inverse association of the combined use of aspirin, statin, and metformin was prominent, and the longer the duration of combined use, the more protective the association was. This finding is in line with a study exhibiting that aspirin and metformin synergistically inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation by activating adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase, which plays a critical role in the regulation of lipogenesis in cancer cells.44 It can reasonably be hypothesized that the concomitant use of aspirin, statin, and metformin concurrently inhibit multiple pathways | |
| https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/12/8/2055 | 4.5 | This study was controlled for the confounding effects of age, gender, urbanization, income, comorbidities, chemotherapy regimen, and other medicines. The study period was 1999–2008, and the follow-up time was until 31 December 2013. Our subpopulation analysis revealed that the use of statins reduced the mortality in these cohorts. The risk of the death for statin users and statin non-users was 37.6% and 61.0%, respectively, during the study period. After controlling for potential confounders, as the cumulative dose of statins increased a significant tendency towards reducing GC mortality was observed | The study cohort included 1835 patients with GC [Gastric Cancer] who had received therapies during the study period. The death numbers among statin users .. and statin non-users were 138 and 895, respectively. A dose–response association was noted between statin use and the OS [overall survival] of patients with GC after treatments. The adjusted hazard ratios were 0.62 and 0.34 for statin users ..., compared with non statin users | |
| https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959804915009223 | 4.5 | We identified 4736 patients treated with sunitinib (n=1059), sorafenib (n=772), axitinib (n=896), temsirolimus (n=457), temsirolimus+interferon (IFN)-α (n=208), bevacizumab+temsirolimus (n=393), bevacizumab+IFN-α (n=391) or IFN-α (n=560), of whom 511 were statin users. Overall, statin users demonstrated an improved overall survival (OS) compared to non-users (25.6 versus 18.9 months, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.80 | When stratified by therapy type, a benefit in OS was demonstrated in statin users compared to non-users in individuals receiving therapy targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (28.4 versus 22.2 months, aHR 0.749, 95% CI 0.584–0.961, p=0.023) or mammalian target of rapamycin (18.6 versus 14.0 months, aHR 0.657, 95% CI 0.445–0.972, p=0.035) | |
| https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6296763/ | 4.5 | Overall baseline statin exposure was associated with a decrease in mortality risk for squamous-cell carcinoma patients (HR = 0.89, 95%CI = 0.82–0.96) and adenocarcinoma patients (HR = 0.87, 95%CI = 0.82–0.94), but not among those with small-cell lung cancer. Post-diagnostic statin exposure was associated with prolonged survival in squamous-cell carcinoma patients (HR = 0.68) and adenocarcinoma patients (HR = 0.78) in a dose-dependent manner. | Of importance, we found that baseline and post-diagnostic statin use was associated with significant decreases in mortality risk only among squamous-cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma patients, but not among small-cell lung cancer patients. When implementing a propensity score matching analysis, we found similar survival associations with baseline exposure | |
| https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-018-5263-z | 4.5 | Compared to non- or irregular use, regular pre-diagnostic statin use was associated with lower risk of breast cancer related deaths (HR = 0.77) [Hazard Ratio]. Similarly, post-diagnostic statin use compared to non-use was associated with lower risk of breast cancer related deaths (HR = 0.83) | In conclusion, statin users, particularly simvastatin users, had a lower risk of breast cancer related deaths compared to non-users in this nationwide cohort of Swedish women with breast cancer diagnosed after the age of 40. Considering previous evidence from functional-, clinical- and epidemiological studies, this study adds evidence to the notion that statins seem to possess beneficial effects against breast cancer progression along with its cardiovascular benefits | |
| https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.3074 | 4.5 | In NSCLC pts, statin use was associated with improved ORR (40% versus 22%), longer PFS (median 7.8 versus 3.6 months, HR 0.59) but similar OS (median 13.1 versus 10.1 months, HR 0.79,) | This study shows that statin use at start of anti-PD1 treatment improves response to anti-PD1 agents in MPM and NSCLC pts who progressed to standard chemotherapy in routine clinical practice. This association could not be found in MPM pts treated with first-line chemotherapy, thus suggesting a synergy between statins and anti-PD1 agents | |
| https://www.jto.org/article/S1556-0864(20)30712-7/fulltext | 4.5 | Interestingly, the inverse association of the combined use of aspirin, statin, and metformin was prominent, and the longer the duration of combined use, the more protective the association was. This finding is in line with a study exhibiting that aspirin and metformin synergistically inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation by activating adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase, which plays a critical role in the regulation of lipogenesis in cancer cells.44 It can reasonably be hypothesized that the concomitant use of aspirin, statin, and metformin concurrently inhibit multiple pathways related to lung cancer cell growth | These inverse associations increased consistently as the duration of cardiovascular medication exposure increased; thus, participants who used aspirin, statin, and metformin in combination greater than or equal to 547.5 days exhibited the lowest risk for lung cancer (aHR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.33–0.73) and associated mortality (aHR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.22–0.81). Although the combined use of aspirin and statin (aHR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.00–1.24), aspirin and metformin (aHR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.37), and statin and metformin (aHR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01–1.58) wase associated with slightly higher lung cancer mortality when any use was considered, these associations disappeared or even reversed when the cutoff for the duration of medication use was 182.5 days or highe | |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168480/ | 4.5 | In our study, patients treated with TDL [Thalidomide, Dexamethasone plsu Lovastatin] regimen had significantly prolonged survival and overall survival (median PFS over 33 months and median OS over 49 months). These results suggest that the addition of LOV [Lovastatin] to THAL and DEX is safe and improves the response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory Multiple Myeloma, without hampering mobilisation efficacy and implementation of high-dose therapy. A future prospective randomised study is needed to confirm the value of LOV or other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in the treatment of MM patients. | In our study, 49 patients in the TDL group received LOV at a dose of 1 mg/kg (55 to 90 mg daily, median 65 mg daily) for 5 days and weekly for two consecutive weeks. Patients received a maintenance dose of 0.5 mg/kg for the next 2 weeks. We did not observe clinical or biochemical evidence of significant toxicity. Apathy and muscle weakness were observed in about 15% of the patients both in the TDL and TD groups. It is not clear whether they have been related to dexamethasone or lovastatin therapy. Results in the TDL group showed a significantly higher rate of very good responses (CR and NCR) and significantly shorter time to response in comparison to the TD-treated patients | |
| https://www.nature.com/articles/bjc2016149 | 4 | Current statin use was associated with lower risk of cancer death compared with never-use (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71–0.86; P<0.001; Figure 1), and lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.74–0.88). The lower risk of cancer death associated with statin use did not depend on statin potency | In this prospective cohort study, we found that current statin use in postmenopausal women with cancer was associated with lower risk of cancer death. Use of other lipid-lowering medications was also associated with a lower risk of cancer death; this finding suggests that a reduction in circulating cholesterol levels may mediate increased cancer survival. However, a dose–response relationship was not found, suggesting that results should be interpreted cautiously. Multiple molecular mechanisms have been linked to statins and cancer, including the mevalonate pathway | |
| https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799080 | 4 | Nineteen retrospective cohorts of 108 512 men (61 950 [57%] statin users) with more than 73 885 mortality events.. were included in a meta-analysus...Concurrent statin use was associated with a 27% reduction in the risk of overall mortality (HR, 0.73 ) [Hazard Ratio] in random-effects meta-analysis | This systematic review and meta-analysis studied the association between statin use and survival outcomes in men using androgen-ablative therapies for advanced prostate cancer. In pooling data from 25 cohorts and 119 878 men, we identified an association of statin use with a 27% overall mortality and 35% PCSM benefit, albeit with significant interstudy heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses suggested a preferential advantage for men receiving ARATs. These findings were not driven by any single cohort, withstood robust sensitivity analyses, and were free of publication bias. | |
| https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ctm2.726 | 4 | We discovered further evidence supporting the cancer-preventive effect of statins (Figure 4 and Figure S4): (i) all statins considered together had an OR of .5 (95% CI, .48–.51), with (ii) atorvastatin .30 (95% CI, .28–.32), fluvastatin .65 (95% CI, .47–.88), lovastatin .51 (95% CI, .38–.7), pravastatin .47 (95% CI, .42–.54), rosuvastatin .32 (95% CI, .26–.38), and simvastatin .63 (95% CI, .61–.66) | our study revealed strong evidence for cancer-preventive effects of statins in a large trans-Atlantic cohort, comprised of long-term statin users. We link this beneficial effect to MACC1 transcriptional inhibition, yielding inhibited tumour growth and metastasis formation. These two lines of evidence suggest statin use in treating cancers, for which MACC1 serves as a predictive biomarker and interventional target | |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10473877/ | 4 | Statin therapy was associated with a 26% [the authors mean increased] risk of overall survival (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.67, 0.81), 26% decreased risk of cancer-specific mortality (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.61-0.88), and 24% benefit in of progression-free survival (HR, 0.76)for advanced-stage cancer patients. The associations were not attenuated or reinforced by study design, study regions, cancer types, or other medical care. Concomitant use of other anticancer medications did not result in confounding effects. | Statin therapy produces significant benefits on overall survival and cancer-specific survival. Although the benefits might be lower than the approved immunotherapy medications, its cost-effectiveness could lead to dramatic health consequences. Concomitant use of statin drugs as cancer treatments is highly recommended in future clinical trials. | |
| https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa043792 | 4 | Our data indicate that there is a strong inverse association between the risk of colorectal cancer and the long-term use of statins. This association is consistent with preclinical data suggesting that it is biologically plausible that statins may have a role in colorectal cancer, as well as with evidence from secondary analyses of some, but not all, randomized, controlled trials. These data are also consistent with the results of a small, nested case–control study from Quebec, Canada, that reported a significant reduction in the occurrence of all cancers among statin users as compared with persons who did not use statins | We found that the use of statins is associated with a 47 percent relative reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer after adjustment for other known risk factors and is specific to this class of lipid-lowering agents. Our finding suggests that statins deserve further investigation in chemoprevention and therapeutic clinical trials. | |
| https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2013.49.4757 | 4 | During a mean follow-up time of 4.4 years, 3,499 deaths occurred, including 1,791 from prostate cancer. Postdiagnostic use of statins was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer mortality (HR, 0.76) and all-cause mortality (HR, 0.86) These decreased risks of prostate cancer mortality and all-cause mortality were more pronounced in patients who also used statins before diagnosis (HR, 0.55 and HR, 0.66), with weaker effects in patients who initiated the treatment only after diagnosis (HR, 0.82 | Use of statins after prostate cancer diagnosis was associated with a 24% risk reduction in prostate cancer mortality (Table 2). A dose-response relationship was observed in terms of cumulative duration of use and dose, with the HRs becoming progressively more protective with longer durations of use and higher cumulative doses (≥ 36 months of use: HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.75; and ≥ 1,096 DDDs: HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.72). In an exploratory analysis, a 23% decreased risk was observed with lipophilic statins, and a 35% decreased risk was observed with hydrophilic statins | |
| https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2812091 | 4 | Prediagnostic statin use was a risk factor for BC death even after adjustment for total cholesterol level (hazard ratio [HR], 1.22). Reduced risk for BC death was seen for postdiagnostic statin use (HR, 0.85). The risk reduction was robust in participants whose cholesterol level decreased after starting statins (HR, 0.49) but was nonsignificant if cholesterol level did not subsequently decrease (HR, 0.69). Reduced BC mortality among statin users was also observed in females with estrogen receptor–positive tumors (HR, 0.82). Overall mortality was lower among statin users vs nonusers when adjusted for serum cholesterol level (HR, 0.80) | Inverse mortality association with statin use was observed in hormone receptor–positive cases but not in triple-negative cases. This finding suggests that hormone receptor positivity may have a role in the association between statins and BC. Tumor extent had a role, as the risk decrease was evident only in localized disease. In females with metastatic disease, the risk was conversely increased among statin users. Thus, statins may be beneficial only in females with early-stage BC. On the other hand, patients with metastatic disease have worse outcomes overall. It is plausible that interventions such as statins are unlikely to change the course of disease at this stage | |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10147735/ | 4 | Of the 14,976 women included in analyses, 27% used a statin after diagnosis and the median follow up time was 4.51 years. Statin use (vs non-use) was associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of BCD (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.74; 0.63–0.86). The association was attenuated when considering a subgroup of ‘new’ statin users (HR: 0.91; 0.69–1.19), however other analyses revealed that the protective effect of statins was more pronounced in estrogen receptor positive patients (HR: 0.77; 0.63–0.94), postmenopausal women (HR: 0.74; 0.63–0.88), and in women with advanced stage disease (HR: 0.65; 0.49–0.84). | In this study, statin use was associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of breast cancer death, with subgroup analyses revealing a more protective effect in ER+ patients, postmenopausal women, and in women with advanced stage disease. Further research is warranted to determine if these associations are replicated in other clinical settings. | |
| https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5559964/ | 4 | Multivariable analysis of factors predictive of OS among those patients with a full lipid panel, controlling for total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL, triglyceride values was performed, also including clinical stage group, pathological nodal status, histology, and use of chemotherapy. In this model, any statin use was predictive of OS (HR .10 | Although not significant, there was a trend of improved 5-/10-year OS and DMFS for patients taking lipophilic statins or a combination of hydrophilic and lipophilic statins compared to those only taking hydrophilic statins (both p=.052). Neither individual laboratory values for total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL nor triglycerides predicted for outcomes | |
| https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)01905-9 | 4 | Lipid-lowering drug use was defined as new users before enrollment and the primary outcome was cancer incidence. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the association between drug use and outcome. We also performed a meta-analysis. We found that lipid-lowering drugs were associated with decreased risk of 21 types of cancers, including melanoma, skin cancer, and reproductive, hematological, urinary, digestive, nervous, and endocrine system cancers (all p < 0.0010). Our meta-analysis documented that lipid-lowering drugs reduced the risk of prostate, liver, and gastric cancers, especially (all p < 0.050). Overall, lipid-lowering drugs had protective associations with cancer incidence, suggesting the possible cancer prevention effects even in the general population | Based on UK Biobank, we observed that the use of lipid-lowering drugs, particularly statins, was associated with reduced risk of melanoma, skin cancer, and reproductive (prostate, ovarian, uterus, cervical, breast), hematological (leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma), urinary (bladder, kidney), digestive (esophagus, gastric, intestinal, colorectal, liver), respiratory (lung), nervous (brain cancer), endocrine system (thyroid, pancreatic) cancers even in patients with hyperlipidemia. Our meta-analysis documented that lipid-lowering drugs reduced the risk of prostate, liver, and gastric cancer, especially. According to our findings, lipid-lowering drugs reduced the overall risk of cancer death | |
| https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.140.suppl_1.15660 | 4 | Of the 29,498 CRC patients identified, 11,340 (38%) were statin users. The 10-year overall survival rate was 40% vs. 34% and the cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate was 68% vs. 56% in statin users compared with non-statin therapy patients, respectively. Statin use at time of CRC diagnosis was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause mortality in the overall population (adjusted HR 0.69) and survival benefits were consistent | Statin use at the time of cancer diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival. The benefit of statin use seems to persist regardless of cancer stage, location, and presence of other cardiovascular comorbidities. Further research is needed to confirm which CRC patients benefit the most from statin therapy. | |
| https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6558478/ | 4 | Total fourteen studies involving 130 994 patients were included in this meta‐analysis. Six studies reported the association between pre‐diagnosis statin uses and CRC mortality, while 11 studies investigated mortality in patients using statins after CRC diagnosis. For pre‐diagnosis statin uses, the pooled HR of all‐cause mortality (ACM) was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.79‐0.92) and the pooled HR of cancer‐specific mortality (CSM) was 0.82 . In terms of post‐diagnosis statin uses, the pooled HR of ACM was 0.86, and the pooled HR of CSM was 0.79 | In conclusion, our meta‐analysis demonstrates that both pre‐diagnosis and post‐diagnosis statin uses are associated with reduced ACM and CSM for CRC patients. Considering that statins are low cost and wildly used agents worldwide, we believe our updated meta‐analysis can provide new insights into optimizing adjuvant treatment of CRC. Further clinical studies, especially RCTs and basic studies investigating KRAS mutations, are expected to be conducted to confirm the role of statins in CRC treatment. | |
| https://mejc.sums.ac.ir/article_49700.html | 4 | The study prescribed lovastatin at 80 mg daily, concurrent with definitive CRT in locally advanced HNSCC for the statin group comprising 18 patients. This was compared with a control group consisting of 17 patients. After five years of follow-up, it was observed that RR, median OS, and PFS were non-significantly better in the statin | The complete RR was slightly higher in the statin group (83.3% vs. 64.7%), although it did not reach statistical significance [low numbers of patients]. Acute adverse events did not significantly differ between the two groups. Grade 3 dermatitis occurred more frequently in the placebo group (35.3% vs. 11.1%), while grade 3 mucositis was more common in the statin group (38.9% vs. 11.8%). The median OS was 22 months (confidence interval (CI) 95% = 6.3-37.6) in the statin group and 17 months in the control group (P = 0.50). Median PFS was 20 months in the statin group and 15 months in the control group | |
| https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-53252-4 | 3.5 | During the 893,009 person-years of follow-up from the 10-year follow-up survey, 8,775 participants (5,387 men and 3,388 women) were newly diagnosed with cancers. The duration of anti-cholesterol drug use was significantly associated with a decreased risk of liver cancer (HR:0.26, 95% CI 0.11–0.64 in > 5 y group) and with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer (HR:1.59, 95% CI 1.03–2.47 in > 5 y group). Moreover, a different trend was observed between men and women in the association with the risk of lung cancer. This study suggested that long-term use of anti-cholesterol drugs may have associations with a decreased incidence of liver cancer and with an increased incidence of pancreatic cancers | In this study, the significant effect of the long-term use of anti-cholesterol drugs on the increased risk of pancreatic cancer was observed in the > 5 y group especially in all of the total, men, and women. A previous study reported the association between the use of statins for less than 5 years and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer 25 and a study using data mining also reported the statin use increased pancreatic cancer risk 26. However, most previous reports suggested that statins have a protective effect in decreasing pancreatic cancer risk | |
| https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2804095 | 3.5 | Compared with nonusers, statin users had a significantly lower risk of all-cause death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.83). Notably, the risk reduction was mainly attributed to cancer-related death (adjusted HR, 0.83). Only a small number of patients died of cardiovascular causes, and the ratios were similar between statin users and nonusers. No significant differences were observed in cardiovascular outcomes, including heart failure and arterial and venous events, between statin users and nonusers. Using a time-dependent analysis, statin users also presented a significantly lower risk of cancer-related death (adjusted HR, 0.28) | In this nationwide cohort, we found that among patients with breast cancer, the use of statins was associated with a significant risk reduction of cancer-related deaths. In contrast, cardiovascular outcomes were not significantly different between statin users and nonusers. Statins are known to suppress atherosclerosis and improve cardiovascular outcomes.4,14,15 In a retrospective cohort study, Abdel-Qadir et al16 reported that statin exposure lowered the risk of hospitalization for HF in women with breast cancer aged 66 years or older. It has been speculated that patients prescribed statins have a high prevalence of preexisting coronary heart disease and face excess cardiac risks. However, in our cohort focusing on Asian patients with breast cancer, who were relatively younger at diagnosis, only 5% to 7% of the patients had underlying vascular diseases. On the other hand, statins have received special attention for their pleiotropic effects, including anti-inflammatory and antitumor potential | |
| https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0284186X.2016.1223882 | 3.5 | A recent meta-analysis of randomized trials studying the effect of statins on established ED was reported [Citation6]. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria for the analysis, totaling 713 patients. The most commonly utilized drug was atorvastatin. The median duration of follow-up was only three months. This analysis revealed a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in IIEF score by 3.4 points. This magnitude of improvement is about one third to one half of that seen with PDE5 inhibitors | Also, the drug utilized in the present study, lovastatin, is not very lipophilic, and other statins such as atorvastatin might be more suitable. Nevertheless, the results are intriguing, given that about one third of men report poor sexual functioning at 24 months after radiation [Citation1]. The results of the present study suggest that statins should be studied further as a potential means to prevent radiation-induced ED. | |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10221652/ | 3 | Red yeast rice (RYR) is a nutraceutical widely used as a lipid-lowering dietary supplement. The main cholesterol-lowering components of RYR are monacolins, particularly monacolin K, which is structurally identical to lovastatin and targets the same key enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis. RYR supplementation reduces LDL-C levels by approximately 15–34% versus placebo, with a similar effect to low-dose, first-generation statins in subjects with mild-to-moderate dyslipidemia. RYR has also demonstrated beneficial reductions of up to 45% versus placebo in the risk of ASCVD events | RYR at a dose that provides about 3 mg/d of monacolin K is well tolerated, with an adverse event profile similar to that of low-dose statins. RYR is therefore a treatment option for lowering LDL-C levels and ASCVD risk for people with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia who are ineligible for statin therapy, particularly those who are unable to implement lifestyle modifications, and also for people who are eligible for statin therapy but who are unwilling to take a pharmacologic therapy. | |
| https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11216958/ | 3 | In this extensive observational study involving 1,992 men with de novo diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer, the use of statins was found to be significantly associated with improved OS and CSS. However, statins did not seem to have a significant effect on delaying the development of CRPC. Further randomized prospective studies are necessary to confirm the effectiveness of statins in the treatment of prostate cancer. | However, a recent Danish study involving patients with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer who received ADT as their primary therapy reported that statin use at the time of disease diagnosis did not have a significant impact on delaying disease progression. It is worth noting that statins may affect the endocrine axis and lower androgen levels, although these changes may not substantially affect patients undergoing ADT [29]. In our study, while statin use was associated with survival benefits, its impact on disease progression to CRPC was not significant. Therefore, we hypothesize that the major contribution of statins to survival benefits lies in the prevention of metabolic and cardiovascular risks during ADT exposure | |
| https://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2013.53.2770 | 3 | Much of the apparent inconsistency among studies on statins and prostate cancer disappears when one distinguishes associations with risk of advanced-stage—or preferably lethal—prostate cancer from overall incidence. A meta-analysis of 27 observational studies published in 2012 reported a pooled relative risk of 0.93 for total incident prostate cancer and a more pronounced inverse association for advanced disease, with a relative risk of 0.80 on the basis of seven studies. | Another key feature is the appropriate focus on the timing of statin use. The authors' initial hypothesis was that postdiagnostic statin use would be associated with lower risk of lethal prostate cancer, but they found that most of the apparent benefit was from earlier use of statins before diagnosis. These findings are consistent with those of previous studies and nicely illustrate the need to identify the specific window of timing for the effect of a chemopreventive agent. For example, Margel et al8 found that metformin use after diagnosis was associated with better prostate cancer–specific survival, but prediagnostic use had little or no apparent effect | |
| https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8899821/ | 3 | The evidence of the current review suggests that RYR preparations significantly reduce the occurrence of mortality and MACEs in MetS and improve blood glucose, lipid profiles, and blood pressure. Taken over the long term, RYR preparations could improve clinical endpoints, prevent metabolic diseases, and reduce the risk of CAD. However, due to the low− and moderate−quality evidence of the included studies and the heterogeneity among the different studies, the results of our study should be evaluated with prudence, and more high−quality clinical studies are required to provide stronger evidence for RYR in the treatment of MetS. These findings suggest that RYR preparations should be taken into consideration for the prevention and treatment of MetS due to its favourable effects on multiple risk factors for hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension and its acceptable safety profile | Previous studies indicated that nutraceuticals (berberine, RYR, policosanol) significantly reduced the levels of TC, LDL and HOMA−IR after a 12-months treatment (Marazzi et al., 2011). Nevertheless, in the subgroup analysis of the present study, RYR preparations had a small but significant improvement on TC, TG, LDL and HDL in the intervention duration of >12 months with low heterogeneity, which provided more evidence on long−term use of RYR preparations on reducing blood lipid. Previous systematic review showed that RYR plus conventional therapy lowered the levels of TC, LDL, and SBP compared with conventional therapy, and the levels of TC and LDL compared with placebo plus conventional therapy, while RYR plus statins lowered the levels of TC, TG, LDL, SBP, and DBP compared with statins | |
| https://amsad.termedia.pl/Evaluation-of-the-effect-of-a-dietary-supplementation-with-a-red-yeast-rice-and-fish,177444,0,2.html | 3 | we observed that combined dietary supplements containing red yeast rice (2.8 mg monacolins) and PUFAs (588 mg of fish oil, standardized in PUFAs: 350 EPA, 45 mg DHA) had a positive impact on plasma lipid pattern versus baseline and versus placebo. In particular, after 8 weeks of supplementation we observed a 17.3 ±3.4% reduction of LDL-C, a 12.1 ±2.2% reduction of TC, a 22.3 ±4.3% reduction of apoB, a 14.9 ±1.8% reduction of hsCRP, and a significant improvement of pulse volume change by 5.0 ±0.9 | In a previous observation, we evaluated the effects of a combined nutraceutical with red yeast rice (5 mg monacolin K) and PUFAs (610 mg of fish oil, standardized in PUFAs: 183 mg EPA, 122 mg DHA) in a multi-centre clinical trial involving 107 subjects with suboptimal LDL-C levels and in the context of metabolic syndrome. After 8 weeks of treatment, the results showed a significant decrease in LDL-C (–37.5 mg/dl; –22 ±3%), TG (–19.5 mg/dl; –9 ±5%), and non-HDL-C (–21 ±3%) and a significant increase in HDL-C (+1.5 ±0.5%) (p < 0.001 for all), without changes in safety parameters | |
| https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.744928/full | 2 | The evidence of the current review suggests that RYR preparations significantly reduce the occurrence of mortality and MACEs in MetS and improve blood glucose, lipid profiles, and blood pressure. Taken over the long term, RYR preparations could improve clinical endpoints, prevent metabolic diseases, and reduce the risk of CAD. However, due to the low− and moderate−quality evidence of the included studies and the heterogeneity among the different studies, the results of our study should be evaluated with prudence, and more high−quality clinical studies are required to provide stronger evidence for RYR in the treatment of MetS. These findings suggest that RYR preparations should be taken into consideration for the prevention and treatment of MetS due to its favourable effects on multiple risk factors for hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension and its acceptable safety profile. | High blood pressure can result in heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease (Desai, 2020), and MAP is a predictor of all−cause and CVD mortality in the middle−aged and elderly populations (Sun et al., 2020). In the present study, RYR preparations significantly reduced MAP level of 3.79 mmHg, it also significantly reduced SBP and DBP level in 60−70 years old patients and in the intervention duration of ≤3 months. In addition, previous studies indicated that RYR could improve artery stiffness, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation by promoting and stabilizing the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) (Hu et al., 2020; Cicero et al., 2021). Therefore, the mechanism of RYR on lowering blood pressure might be due to improving endothelial dysfunction and inflammation | |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3389026/ | 1 | Specifically, the combined treatment induced autophagy, ER stress and enhanced DNA damage in PC-3 cells. The combined treatment-induced autophagy occurred primarily via inhibition of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. In a nude mouse tumor xenograft model, the combination treatment possesses an anti-tumor growth effect. IR combined with MP could provide a novel therapy for the treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Go to: | Accumulating evidence indicates that RYR has antitumor activity. In this study, PC-3 cells (human prostate cancer cells) were used to investigate the anti-cancer effects of ionizing radiation (IR) combined with monascuspiloin (MP, a yellow pigment isolated from Monascus pilosus M93-fermented rice) and to determine the underlying mechanisms of these effects in vitro and in vivo. We found that IR combined with MP showed increased therapeutic efficacy when compared with either treatment alone in PC-3 cells |  |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2587076/ | 1 | RYR, a traditional Chinese food herb and a modern dietary supplement, has demonstrated in vitro effects including inhibition of proliferation and stimulation of apoptosis in human colon cancer cells by mechanisms involving MK and the red yeast pigment fraction. The multiple effects of RYR in vitro suggest that further investigation in animal models and ultimately in humans may be warranted given the unique profile of actions of herbal supplements with multiple components compared to purified crystallized drugs containing only a single component | Monascus pigments have antimicrobial activity [37, 38] and the monascorubrin pigment inhibits skin cancer promotion in mice, either when applied topically or orally [39, 40]. The anti-cancer effect of the pigments was also supported by our current experiment that the pigment-rich fraction of RYR showed anti-proliferation and pro-apoptotic activities. While our studies clearly demonstrate that there are other factors beyond MK [Monocolin K] mediating some of the effects of RYR, further studies are needed to determine the effects of other active ingredients in RYR including sterols, isoflavones and tannins, on colon cancer cell growth and apoptosis. |  |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8212055/ | 1 | Combination of lovastatin with doxorubicin synergistically inhibited liver metastasis of MDA-MB-231 CSCs. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that higher expression levels of cytoskeleton-associated genes were characteristic of TNBC and predicted survival outcomes in breast cancer patients. These data suggested that lovastatin could inhibit the EMT and metastasis of TNBC CSCs in vitro and in vivo through dysregulation of cytoskeleton-associated proteins. | In summary, our present study has provided evidence, for the first time, that lovastatin, a natural HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, inhibits TNBC CSCs in vitro and in vivo through inhibition of EMT phenotype and suppression of metastasis by dysregulation of cytoskeleton-associated proteins. This study lays the foundation for the understanding of the inhibitory effect of lovastatin on the EMT and metastasis of TNBC CSCs and has potential clinical implications for the future management of TNBC |  |
| https://aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscovery/article/11/12/3106/674681/Cholesterol-Auxotrophy-as-a-Targetable | 1 | Depriving ccRCC cells of either cholesterol or HDL compromises proliferation and survival in vitro and tumor growth in vivo; in contrast, elevated dietary cholesterol promotes tumor growth. Scavenger Receptor B1 (SCARB1) is uniquely required for cholesterol import, and inhibiting SCARB1 is sufficient to cause ccRCC cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and decreased PI3K/AKT signaling. Collectively, we reveal a cholesterol dependency in ccRCC and implicate SCARB1 as a novel therapeutic target for treating kidney cancer. | Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by large intracellular lipid droplets containing free and esterified cholesterol; however, the functional significance of cholesterol accumulation in ccRCC cells is unknown. We demonstrate that, surprisingly, genes encoding cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes are repressed in ccRCC, suggesting a dependency on exogenous cholesterol. Mendelian randomization analyses based on 31,000 individuals indicate a causal link between elevated circulating high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and ccRCC risk |  |
| https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3384743/ | 1 | RYR significantly reduced tumor volumes of androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate xenograft tumors compared to animals receiving vehicle alone (P<0.05). Inhibition by RYR was greater than that observed with LV at the dose found in RYR demonstrating that other compounds in RYR contributed to the antiproliferative effect.....Clinical studies of RYR for prostate cancer prevention in the increasing population of men undergoing active surveillance should be considered. | The amount of Red Yeast Rice typically used in clinical trials is 1200-2400 mg/day of red yeast rice containing approximately 10 mg total monacolins of which half is monacolin K. This raises a question about function of the other monacolins and non-monacolin compounds in the products, as the monacolin K content is lower than the low end of what is usually considered effective for lovastatin (10-80 mg/day) |  |
| https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040462 | 1 | n addition, the combined treatment enhanced DNA damage and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The combined treatment induced primarily autophagy in PC-3 cells, and the cell death that was induced by the combined treatment was chiefly the result of inhibition of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. In an in vivo study, the combination treatment showed greater anti-tumor growth effects. These novel findings suggest that the combined treatment could be a potential therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer. | n addition, RYR significantly reduced tumor volumes of prostate xenograft tumors [32]. The combination of IR with other agents that achieve radiosensitizing potential has become important interventions for the patients with prostate cancer [33]. Previous studies have also demonstrated that natural products as the novel radiosensitizers for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer that is resistant to radiation therapy In the present study, we demonstrated for the first time that MP sensitizes human prostate cancer PC-3 cells |  |
| https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772566923000216# | 1 | Almost all products containing RYR and its extract alone or in combinations with other bioactive compounds and even probiotics are effective to significantly reduce LDL-C and TC. This demonstrates the efficacy of this food supplement as the discontinuation of a RYR supplement results in the return of hypercholesterolemia | Due to the presence of pigments, RYR has been used widely to prepare traditional foods in those countries [4]. On the other hand, polyketides including the pigments and other molecules in RYR have a variety of biological activities such as antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant effects [4]. One group of them is called monacolins, which monacolin K (MK) is the same as lovastatin, a prescription statin used to reduce blood cholesterol. Therefore, RYR has been used widely as a food supplement to reduce blood cholesterol worldwide. So far, many over-the-counter brands of RYR products are available. | |
| https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/8/5/129 | 1 | In our current study, activity-guided isolation yielded statins and red pigment (rubropunctatin) from red yeast rice, and an in vitro cell study indicate that monacolin L and rubropunctatin presented very strong anticancer effects against cancer cells. Our study further verified a previous hypothesis that some other components may also exert anticancer effects of red yeast rice. In fact, we found that red pigment rubropunctatin presented even stronger anticancer effects than anticancer drugs taxol and cis-platinum against ovary cancer cells | The current study suggests that red yeast rice and its red pigment component, rubropunctatin, deserve to be further studied on their anticancer effects and mechanisms of action. As a telomerase inhibitor, rubropunctatin may exert anticancer effects through suppressing gene expression of telomerase-related protein hTERT. More in-depth studies should be carried out to further develop it into an anticancer drug candidate. |  |
| https://academic.oup.com/eurheartjsupp/article/21/Supplement_B/B71/5422925 | 1 | It is interesting to notice that the effect of red rice supplement on lipid profile, considering the dose of Monacolin K, is superior, milligram by milligram, to that of lovastatin pills: lovastatin and Monacolin K are chemically indistinguishable. It is possible that the difference resides in the better bioavailability of Monacolin K in fermented red rice, which for the characteristics of the carrying substances, is significantly higher than the chemically purified compound.5 Overall the effect of fermented red rice containing 3 mg of Monacolin K on LDL cholesterol is equivalent to a dose of 10 mg of lovastatin. | The effects of fermented red rice on lipid profile are well known. The prevalent effect is reduction of LDL cholesterol, which according to the Monacolin K level, decreases by 15% and 25%.2 The effect on HDL cholesterol is negligible. Long-term studies confirmed that the reduction of LDL cholesterol is unchanged over time, provided the dose of the compound remains the same. As for the other statins, Monacolin K improves endothelial function and has an anti-inflammatory effect |
A september 2024 study looks at incidence rates in most common cancer types across nearly 400,000 patient records in the UK. Statin users were, on average, older and in poorer health especially factors such as obesity. Nevertheless, the meta-analysis shows reduced levels of incidence for 21 common cancer types for statin users.They then ran a multi-national comparison with 39 publications including their own, to then find that prostate, gastric and liver cancers showed the most consistent evidence, other types of cancer did not. The reasons for this are unclear.
This study also linked high cholesterol levels – hyperliperdemia – with increased incidence in melanoma, pancreatic, colorectal, gastric, liver, skin, kidney, cervical, uterus, and ovarian cancer. They also found substantial evidence for overall reduction in mortality due to cancer in the statin users in the UK data.
A recent meta-analysis of the effects of prior statin use on breast cancer patients in Tiawan. Nearly 7500 patients were matched with the same number of non-users. Statin users had a statistically significant 17% relative risk reduction for any cause mortality, mostly that being cancer related. There were, interestingly, no major difference in cardiovascular events. Overall statin users had a significant relative survival improvements, slightly higher in patients taking high dose statins.
A meta analysis over 4 years follows nearly 3500 prostate cancer patients. Postdiagnostic use of statins was associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer mortality of 24%. But the relative survival rates were double that for patients who took pre-diagnosis statins, while starting statins after diagnosis gave 18% relative risk reductions. Additionally, a 23% decreased risk was observed with lipophilic statins, where lovastatin or red yeast rice is classified , and an even better 35% decreased risk was observed with hydrophilic statins for this patient group
Researchers found a 58% relative improvement for Triple Negative Breast cancer progression risk with lipophilic statin use of which lovastatin is a prime example, . The median follow-up was 3.3 years for breast cancer-specific survival and 4.4 years for overall survival, the latter showing 30% relative risk reductions. The data here showed no benefits in other breast cancers. On the other hand, for high intensity statin users in the TNBC group experienced a larger 75% or so relative risk reduction. High intensity implies does in the 40-80mg range for atorvastatin or lovastatin and >50% cholesterol level reductions once statin therapy was started during the first year.
A recent study on breast cancer survival benefits in breast cancer patient records for statin vs non statin users. The focus here was the strong association found in post-diagnostic users seeing a significant drop in cholesterol levels. This group saw relative risk reductions on roughly half vs the general 15% or so average effect. Though the report states a non significant effect when statin introduction had low effects on cholesterol, the data still shows positive effects.
The responders were concentrated mainly in those with localized cancers, and most clearly in ER+ (Estrogen Receptor-positive) but in the data itself shows both PR- and HER2+ (Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-positive) subtypes saw significant improvements in risk.
Importantly, all cause mortality was improved by a relative level of 20% for statin users.
A 2023 national level meta-analysis in Sweden of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, measuring the incidence of colorectal cancer CRC and survival advantages connected to statin use. Effects were mostly seen in Ulcerative Colitis ( rather than Crohns) The protective actions of statins were more prominent after >2 years of use. For that group, the incidence levels of CRC was approximately 40 to 50% lower. And for those diagnosed there was a strong extension in survival times close to 2X increased survivial rates, even allowing for all other risk factors.
In fact, there is an increased survival for all causes shown in the data, over 30%. An excellent example of where statins can be targeted for use as an adjuvant therapy, but ideally low dose usage even as a preventative measure for inflammatory bowel or other auto-immune digestive disease.
Red Yeast Rice, or where possible a prescription statin, reduce platelet adhesion, aggregation, and activation levels. Similar to aspirin there is emerging evidence that reduced metastatic activity is at least partly the lowering platelet derived lipid molecules (thromboxane). Below reports point the increased effects combined with Nattokinase and concentrated Omega 3. In other words the reported risk reductions in cancer groups are not so much linked to cholesterol as they are to vascular health.
| Summary | Source |
|---|---|
| Analysis in prostate cancer cases reports 48% lower incidence rate of metastatic disease in statin users. Interestingly, non statin lipid lowering drugs also lowered the rates of metastatic cancer by 43% showing the relation to blood lipid levels | LINK |
| This study of breast cancer occurrence reports a 24% reduced distant metastasis risk related to recurrence. The proposed mechanism is statin suppression of cancer cell ability to detach and migrate- (Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition) | LINK |
| Clinical study in cardiovascular disease reports lipid lowering activity of red yeast rice with nattokinase. Especially important is the comination RYR+Nattokinase approximately halves the platelet-derived thromboxane indicated in cancer cell immune evasion | LINK |
| This study in cardiovascular disease reports that stains reduce platelet activation levels, known bio-markers for platelet related increases in metastatic activity levels | LINK |
| This study shows a 40 to 50% reduction in platelet aggregation with statins. Clustering or clumping of platelets is a crucial mechanism enabling cancer cells to evade immune response during migration | LINK |
| Clincial study in metabolic health shows effective reductions in systemic inflammation and parallel improvement in blood vessel, endothelial, health. Both inflammation (CRP) and weakened endothelial function increase metastatic spread | LINK |
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