High levels of cholesterol in the blood, as a result of diet or disease, have been associated with an increased risk for breast cancer recurrence. Studies suggest that cancer cells may use this molecule to fuel tumor growth or to impair the immune system. But a study published this week (February 2) in Molecular Therapy reports that cholesterol synthesis can also take place within tumor cells themselves, stimulating metastatic growth. This process is mediated by communication between triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and fibroblasts from the lungs. Researchers were able to inhibit this signaling cascade and reduce lung metastasis by treating mice with the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs—statins.
“This study provides a promising route through which cholesterol pathways could be targeted to treat TNBC, which is concordant with epidemiological studies that show a potential benefit to statins in patients who have been diagnosed with TNBC,” writes MD Anderson radiation ...
