Statins: protectors or pretenders in prostate cancer?
The role of statin therapy in prostate cancer (PCa) prevention and treatment is plagued by controversy. This critical review of published clinical series reveals several caveats in earlier studies, which reported no benefit. Recent studies that adjust for confounding factors have demonstrated statin therapy to be associated with PCa prevention and favorable clinical outcomes. Developed as inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis, the expected mechanism of statin action is systemic cholesterol reduction. By lowering circulating cholesterol, statins indirectly reduce cellular cholesterol levels in multiple cell types, impacting on membrane microdomains and steroidogenesis. Although non-cholesterol mechanisms of statin action have been proposed, they are limited by the uncertainties surrounding in vivo tissue statin concentrations.
The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia.
Hyeongsun
H
Moon
The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia.
Michelle M
MM
Hill
The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia; Department of Urology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia; School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
Matthew J
MJ
Roberts
The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia; Department of Urology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia.
Robert A
RA
Gardiner
School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: aj.brown@unsw.edu.au.
Andrew J
AJ
Brown
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D002784:Cholesterol
HMG-CoA reductase; androgen synthesis; cholesterol; prenylation; prostate cancer; statin