(3/17/2020) Research out of the University of Bristol looked at genes and how they inhibit an enzyme involved in regulating the body’s cholesterol. This enzyme is the target of statin drugs, which are prescribed to lower cholesterol levels.
The study involved 63,347 women between 20 and 100 years old, of whom 22,406 had ovarian cancer. An additional 31,448 women who carried the BRCA1/2 fault, of whom 3,887 had ovarian cancer, were also studied. Mendelian randomization, which involves analyzing the genetic data from thousands of people, was used to examine the participants and the impacts of statins on their ovarian cancer risk. The study found that statins could potentially lower the risk for developing ovarian cancer.
Professor Richard Martin, from the University of Bristol, was quoted, “Our findings open up the possibility of repurposing a cheap drug to help prevent ovarian cancer – especially in women who are at a higher risk. It’s incredibly interesting that women whose bodies naturally inhibit the enzyme targeted by statins have a lower risk of ovarian cancer, but we don’t recommend anyone rushes to take statins specifically to reduce ovarian cancer risk because of this study…It’s a promising result and I hope it sparks more research and trials into statins to demonstrate conclusively whether or not there’s a benefit.”
You can find further information in the article from Nursing Notes, and in the research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
