Abstract 2399: Simvastatin Inhibits Advanced Prostate Cancer in TRAMP Mice

Abstract Controversial literature suggests the potential off-label benefit of statins in the prevention of breast and prostate cancers. As millions of Americans are currently taking statins to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease, we wanted to test if simvastatin could inhibit prostate carcinogenesis in the TRAMP (TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate) model. We hypothesized that simvastatin would inhibit the most aggressive form of cancer in the model, poorly differentiated carcinoma (PDC), similar to what has been seen in epidemiological studies. Mice were fed a Western Diet to mimic the high-fat diet common among men in the United States (n=25 per group). Two additional groups were fed the Western diet supplemented with either 0.025% or 0.050% w/w simvastatin. The control mice on the Western diet had an increase of PDC when compared to a low-fat AIN93 casein based diet (48% vs. 32%). While the 0.025% simvastatin Western diet reduced PDC incidence from 48% to 38%, the 0.050% simvastatin Western diet drastically reduced PDC incidence from 48% to 16% when compared to Western controls (p=0.0153 by Chi square analysis). Changes in serum profiles analyzing total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides did not correlate to the reduction in PDC incidence. In conclusion, our results show that simvastatin can reduce the most aggressive stage of prostate cancer in the TRAMP model and supports the observation that simvastatin reduces the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2399. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2399