Statins in oncological research: From experimental studies to clinical practice

• Statins showed significant proapoptotic and anti-proliferative effects in various cancer cell lines.
• In animal model studies statins prevented carcinogenesis in several organ sites.
• Promising results have been reported regarding the esophageal, colorectal, and hepatocellular carcinoma in statin users.
• Statins co-administered with other anti-cancer drug should be further evaluated for tumor-preventive properties.

Statins, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors are commonly used drugs in the treatment of dyslipidemias, primarily raised cholesterol. Recently, many epidemiological and preclinical studies pointed to anti-tumor properties of statins, including anti-proliferative activities, apoptosis, decreased angiogenesis and metastasis. These processes play an important role in carcinogenesis and, therefore, the role of statins in cancer disease is being seriously discussed among oncologists. Anti-neoplastic properties of statins combined with an acceptable toxicity profile in the majority of individuals support their further development as anti-tumor drugs.The mechanism of action, current preclinical studies and clinical efficacy of statins are reviewed in this paper. Moreover, promising results have been reported regarding the statins’ efficacy in some cancer types, especially in esophageal and colorectal cancers, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Statins’ hepatotoxicity has traditionally represented an obstacle to the prescription of this class of drugs and this issue is also discussed in this review.