Anticancer Activity of Lovastatin and Related Compounds
Description of Invention:
The antihypercholesterolemic drug lovastatin exhibits antitumor/cytotoxic activity in vitro and may be an effective chemotherapeutic agent for several cancers, particularly metastatic prostate and stomach cancers, which are refractory to all available cytotoxic agents. Preliminary clinical trials demonstrate that high doses of lovastatin and related compounds (i.e., inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase) reduce circulating levels of the tumor marker prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients with prostate cancer. Other cancers that may be responsive to this class of drugs are breast cancer and Ewing's sarcoma. Such testing represents a novel application of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors.
Inventors:
C Myers J Trepel WK Kang L Whitesell L Neckers (NCI)
