Researchers Find Cholesterol Lowering Drug Can Also Treat Breast Cancer

Researchers at the University of Missouri have announced that they’ve discovered new properties in a compound initially created to lower cholesterol. The research team found that the compound could also stop the progression of breast cancer. It also killed cancer cells and stopped them from spreading throughout the body. The results of the team’s research were published in the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment journal.

The majorities of breast cancers—up to 70 percent—are dependent on hormones and are traditionally treated with anti-hormone drugs such as Tamoxifen. However, many forms of breast cancer eventually become resistant to anti-hormone drugs. Research has also shown that cholesterol can play a role in the development of breast cancer cells becoming resistant to anti-hormone drugs. That is one of the reasons why the University of Missouri research team was interested in cholesterol-forming pathways as a therapeutic target.

The research team used a compound that was originally developed by Roche Pharmaceuticals for the purpose of treating high cholesterol. The compound was found to be effective at reducing breast cancer growth and causing the death of breast cancer cells. The drug also destroyed an estrogen receptor, a receptor that encourages the growth of breast cancers fueled by hormones.

Salman Hyder, the Zalk Endowed Professor in Tumor Angiogenesis and professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center at MU, commented on the results of the research. “Cholesterol is a molecule found in all animal cells and serves as a structural component of cell membranes,” Hyder said. “Because tumor cells grow rapidly they need to synthesize more cholesterol. Scientists working to cure breast cancer often seek out alternative targets that might slow or stop the progression of the disease, including the elimination of the cancerous cells. In our study, we targeted the production of cholesterol in cancer cells leading to death of breast cancer cells.”