Monday 26 September 2022 03:53 PM Statins 'could treat prostate cancer': Drugs starve stubborn tumours, trial ... trends now
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Statins could help thousands of men battling stubborn prostate cancer, research suggested today.
The cholesterol-busting pills were shown to starve tumours in a 'first of its kind' trial.
All but one of 12 patients given the medication saw a clear benefit, the results revealed.
Charities called the findings 'encouraging', given the drugs are cheap and proven to be safe.
Lead author Professor Hing Leung, from the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, said further trials were needed.
But he added: 'We could use these already-approved medicines very quickly to offer patients better options for treatment.'
Statins could help slow tumour growth in prostate cancer patients that have stopped responding to traditional treatment, a 'first of its kind' trial shows
Around 52,000 men in the UK and 1650,000 in the US are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year.
It is usually treated with a combination of radiotherapy and hormone therapy, where levels of testosterone are lowered in the body to slow the growth of the tumour.
Prostate cancer needs androgens, like testosterone, to grow.
They are made from cholesterol in the blood stream and are produced by the testicles.
But the disease becomes resistant to hormone therapy in up to 20 per cent of cases. This is known as castration-resistant
