The cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin increases the effectiveness of liver cancer treatment. This conclusion was reached by scientists at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed). The results of their work were published in the Journal of Hepatology (JHepa).

Liver cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer: it is often detected at a late stage, when surgical intervention is no longer possible. The prognosis for treatment is particularly poor in patients with metabolically associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly NAFLD) caused by a high-fat diet.

Experiments on mice have shown that atorvastatin can block the mevalonate pathway, a metabolic mechanism that allows tumor cells to avoid programmed cell death. This pathway is particularly active in liver cancer associated with fatty liver disease.

In addition, scientists have found that combining atorvastatin with existing treatments significantly enhances their effect. For example, the drug alone slowed tumor growth by 33%. When combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, tumor mass decreased by 45%, and with lenvatinib, by 58%.

According to the researchers, this approach could significantly improve the effectiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma treatment and change the prognosis for patients with liver cancer associated with fatty liver disease, the prevalence of which continues to grow worldwide.