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Angela Colmone
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Boston, MA (Feb 23, 2009) — Current research suggests that lowering cholesterol may
block the growth of prostate tumors. The related report by Solomon et
al, "Ezetimibe Is an Inhibitor of Tumor Angiogenesis," appears in the
March 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
High
cholesterol not only leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, but
may also contribute to cancer growth and progression. Prostate cancer
is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, affecting
approximately 1 in 6 men. Prostate tumors accumulate high levels of
cholesterol, and tumor incidence correlates with eating a high fat/high
cholesterol diet "Western" diet. In addition, prostate tumor
progression has been linked to serum cholesterol levels.
To
examine the role of high cholesterol in prostate cancer, Dr. Keith
Solomon and colleagues fed mice a high fat/high cholesterol "Western"
diet. They found that high cholesterol levels promoted tumor growth and
that Ezetimibe (Zetia™), which blocks the absorption of cholesterol
from the intestine, could prevent this increased tumor growth.
Ezetimibe also blocked a cholesterol-mediated increase in angiogenesis,
the growth of new blood vessels required for tumor progression. These
data suggest that reducing cholesterol levels may inhibit prostate
cancer growth specifically by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.
The
article from Solomon et al suggests "that cholesterol reduction, which
is routinely accomplished pharmacologically in humans, may reduce
angiogenesis, ultimately leading to less aggressive tumors." "Lowering
cholesterol levels whether through diet, exercise, or the use of safe
cholesterol-lowering drugs is known to provide a substantial benefit to
patients—in the future it may be possible to add reduced risk of
serious prostate cancer to that list of benefits" says Solomon. "We are
in the process of working with clinicians to translate these findings
into potential human studies. If we can demonstrate the effects noted
in our pre-clinical studies in human patients we may be save lives and
improve the quality of life," adds Dr. Michael Freeman, senior author
of the study.
Source: American Journal of Pathology
Original article: Keith R. Solomon, Kristine Pelton, Kelly Boucher, Jinsoo Joo, Christopher Tully, David Zurakowski, Carl P. Schaffner, Jayoung Kim and Michael R. Freeman (2009). Ezetimibe Is an Inhibitor of Tumor Angiogenesis. American Journal of Pathology. 2009;174:1017-1026.
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