Increasing response to treatment with statins

This study examined whether statin use during cancer treatments can increase response rates and outcomes among rectal cancer patients before surgery.

Chemoradiation (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) is often used among rectal cancer patients before undergoing surgery (referred to as neoadjuvant therapy). Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is aimed at decreasing tumor size and thus improving surgical outcomes. Neoadjuvant therapy has been shown to increase survival among locally advanced rectal cancer patients, and patients who show a good response neoadjuvant therapy generally experience lower recurrence rates. However, only 10% to 30% of rectal cancer patients show good response to neoadjuvant therapy. Therefore, interventions aimed at increasing response to treatments may significantly improve survival and are the focus of investigation.

Recent studies have shown that statins, medications normally used to lower cholesterol levels, may reduce cancer risk and improve outcomes among certin cancer types. For example, statins have been shown to decrease the rate of new cancer cell growth among colon cancer patients. However, few studies have examined the effects of statin use among rectal cancer patients.

This study analyzed the records of 407 rectal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy. 24.3% of patients were also being treated with statins prior to, and throughout, treatments. Patient response was measured by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor regression grading system (a scale of grades from 0 to 3, in which a grade of 0 indicates there are no cancer cells remaining following treatment, while a grade of 3 indicates there has been no response to the treatment).

Patients receiving statins showed significantly lower tumor regression grades compared to patients not receiving statins. Patients receiving statins were twice as likely to achieve grade 0 or 1 response compared to non-statin users. 65.7% of statin users showed a good response to neoadjuvant therapy (resulting in grade 0 or 1), compared to only 48.7% of non-statin users. While statin therapy was not shown to independently impact overall survival or recurrence rates, all patients achieving a regression grade of 0 or 1 showed significantly improved overall survival rates and a decrease in the rate of recurrences.

This study concluded that statin use increases response rates to neoadjuvant chemoradiation among rectal cancer patients.

This is a retrospective study based on past patient records. Randomized controlled studies are needed to verify results.

Consult with your physician regarding the risks and potential benefits of statin therapy during cancer treatments.