Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent form of liver cancer in adults, is exhibiting an alarming increase in incidence worldwide and carries a grim prognosis. While chronic hepatitis C and B are major contributors globally, alcohol-associated liver disease and metabolic syndrome are significant factors in the U.S. Now, research suggests a potential protective effect from specific statins.
Erik Almazan, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Raymond T. Chung, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, have published a paper in Gastro Hep Advances detailing their findings on the association between statin use and HCC risk.
Lipophilic vs. Hydrophilic Statins
The study leveraged data from the NIH's All of Us Research Program to investigate the impact of statins, aspirin, and metformin on HCC risk in individuals with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. The researchers differentiated between lipophilic statins (atorvastatin, simvastatin) and hydrophilic statins (pravastatin, rosuvastatin).
The results indicated that lipophilic statins were associated with lower odds of HCC. However, hydrophilic statins, aspirin, and metformin did not demonstrate a similar protective effect.
Implications for Chemoprevention
"The use of lipophilic statins may be an effective strategy for chemoprevention in HCC," the authors stated. They suggest that clinicians consider prescribing lipophilic statins over hydrophilic ones for patients who require statins and have risk factors for HCC.
Ongoing Research
A multi-center clinical trial (NCT05028829) is currently underway to assess the efficacy of atorvastatin, a lipophilic statin, in reducing HCC risk among high-risk individuals. Furthermore, the researchers plan to continue utilizing the All of Us Research Program data to explore the role of statins in liver fibrosis progression.
