Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38711272›Full record

ReviewCancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.)2024

Statins as anti-tumor agents: A paradigm for repurposed drugs.

Sneha Tripathi, Ekta Gupta, Sanjeev Galande

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
41citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

41 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Revisiting tumor immunogenicity through the lens of mutant p53: Implications for cancer immunotherapy.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2026
    Review
  5. Antitumoral and cardioprotective roles of statins: underlying types, mechanisms, current evidence, and emerging perspectives.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Anti-Tumor Effects of Statins in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. In Silico Analysis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sneha TripathiLaboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India.
Ekta GuptaLaboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India.
Sanjeev GalandeLaboratory of Chromatin Biology & Epigenetics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India.ORCID 0000-0002-7251-1905

Funding

Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India BT/ATGC/127/SP39484/2020Science and Engineering Research Board JCB/2019/000013
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStatins, frequently prescribed medications, work by inhibiting the rate-limiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) in the mevalonate pathway to reduce cholesterol levels. Due to their multifaceted benefits, statins are being adapted for use as cost-efficient, safe and effective anti-cancer treatments. Several studies have shown that specific types of cancer are responsive to statin medications since they rely on the mevalonate pathway for their growth and survival. RECENT

findingsStatin are a class of drugs known for their potent inhibition of cholesterol production and are typically prescribed to treat high cholesterol levels. Nevertheless, there is growing interest in repurposing statins for the treatment of malignant neoplastic diseases, often in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The mechanism behind statin treatment includes targeting apoptosis through the BCL2 signaling pathway, regulating the cell cycle via the p53-YAP axis, and imparting epigenetic modulations by altering methylation patterns on CpG islands and histone acetylation by downregulating DNMTs and HDACs respectively. Notably, some studies have suggested a potential chemo-preventive effect, as decreased occurrence of tumor relapse and enhanced survival rate were reported in patients undergoing long-term statin therapy. However, the definitive endorsement of statin usage in cancer therapy hinges on population based clinical studies with larger patient cohorts and extended follow-up periods.

conclusionsThe potential of anti-cancer properties of statins seems to reach beyond their influence on cholesterol production. Further investigations are necessary to uncover their effects on cancer promoting signaling pathways. Given their distinct attributes, statins might emerge as promising contenders in the fight against tumorigenesis, as they appear to enhance the efficacy and address the limitations of conventional cancer treatments.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsDrug RepositioningHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsNeoplasmsAnimalsHumansSignal TransductionAntineoplastic AgentsHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitorsanti‐cancer drugcholesterolcombinatorial therapydrug repurposinglipid metabolismmevalonate pathwaystatins

Identifiers

PMID38711272
PMCPMC11074523

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.