Efectos de las estatinas en cáncer: ¿potencial rol en terapéutica y prevención?

• Mauricio Cuello F ; Sumie Kato C ; Daniela Díaz S ^[1] ; Gareth Owen ^[1]
  1. [1] Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

     Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

     Santiago, Chile

     
• Localización: Revista Médica de Chile, ISSN-e 0034-9887, Vol. 141, Nº. 2, 2013, págs. 227-236
• Idioma: español
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Effects of statins in cancer
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• Resumen

  • This review explores the evidence supporting a potential benefit of statins in cancer. In particular, the lipophilic forms (i.e. lovastatin, simvastatin, or similar) would have a therapeutic but not a preventive role. The pleiotropic effects that statins possess mainly explain this phenomenon, influencing the natural history of disease and the response to currently available therapies. By inhibiting the mevalonate pathway, statins would have a systemic effect, similar to that observed in atherosclerosis, reducing the inflammatory stimuli present in the tumor micro-environment and inhibiting the activation of intracellular signaling cascades critical for proliferation, migration/invasion and metastasis of the cancer cell. Despite all this evidence, randomized trials are needed to confirm the benefit of statins on cancer, before promoting their widespread use as a therapeutic or preventive strategy for this condition.