Statins as adjuvants in the treatment of ovarian cancer: Controversy and misunderstanding

Ovarian cancer is frequently detected in advanced stages when the chances of survival are very low. Although chemotherapy is the treatment of choice, it is often rapidly compromised by the development of chemoresistance in patients. There are few pharmacological alternatives for managing chemoresist...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of pharmacology 2021-04, Vol.896, p.173915-173915, Article 173915
Main Authors: Manzano-León, Natalia, Garcia-Lopez, Patricia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antineoplastic
Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects
Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use
Chemoresistance
Female
Humans
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - adverse effects
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Neoplasm Staging
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian Neoplasms - drug therapy
Ovarian Neoplasms - epidemiology
Ovarian Neoplasms - pathology
Statins
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Ovarian cancer is frequently detected in advanced stages when the chances of survival are very low. Although chemotherapy is the treatment of choice, it is often rapidly compromised by the development of chemoresistance in patients. There are few pharmacological alternatives for managing chemoresistant ovarian cancer and statins have been suggested as an alternative, but their use is considered controversial. We present an overview of the most relevant epidemiological, in vitro and in vivo studies on the effects of statins in mono- or polytherapy for ovarian cancer. We conclude that the negative or inconclusive results of some epidemiological studies on statin-based cancer treatment are probably due, in large part, to the low doses given to patients, equivalent to those prescribed for hypercholesterolemia. Higher concentrations are well tolerated in animal models and by most patients in clinical trials. Future research is necessary to explore this possibility.
ISSN:0014-2999
1879-0712
DOI:10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.173915