Effect of Statins in the Watch and Wait Phase of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

BACKGROUND

It is an unclear how cholesterol-lowering statin drugs affect progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

METHODS

Clinical records of 57 CLL patients were examined to determine how initiating statins in the "watch and wait" phase of management affected disease progression.

RESULTS

After 6.4 ± 0.6 months, when average low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels had been lowered from 3.58 ± 0.11 mM to 2.1 ± 0.06 mM, blood levels of CLL cells and beta-2-microglobulin (β2M) increased significantly, accompanied by significant decreases in platelets. Following statin institution, rates of change of blood lymphocytes and β2M increased from 1.55 ± 0.39 × 106 to 3.4 ± 0.68 × 106 cells/mL/month (n = 43) and 0.035 ± 0.011 to 0.055 ± 0.007 μg/mL/month (n = 40), respectively. Conventional first-line CLL treatment was ultimately required in 37 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

These observations suggest that statins as single agent do not slow and may even modestly stimulate progression of CLL.