Low cholesterol not a good sign for patients with kidney cancer

Date: Jun-13-2014New research adds yet another twist to the increasingly complex story

surrounding cholesterol and health. It would seem that low cholesterol, which we are told is good

for our heart, is not a good sign for people with kidney cancer, as a new study shows it is linked

to an increased risk of dying.

Senior investigator Tobias Klatte, an assistant professor at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria,

and colleagues write about the findings in the journal BJU International. They suggest

cholesterol testing should be considered when monitoring patients with kidney cancer.

There is mounting evidence that the relationship between cholesterol and health and disease is

more complex than first thought. For example, in relation to cancer, US researchers have suggested

there is an underlying mechanism

that affects both cancer and low LDL (so-called "bad") cholesterol. And another study led by

a team in Australia suggests cancer

spreads with help from bad cholesterol.

Even the division between "good" and "bad" cholesterol is not so clear cut it seems. In

January 2014 we learned how HDL or so-called "good" cholesterol has its bad

side, when research led by the Cleveland Clinic in the US found a molecular process through

which it loses its protective properties and instead contributes to the development of coronary

artery disease.

To find out more about the relationship between cholesterol and kidney cancer in particular,

Prof. Klatte and colleagues analyzed pre-surgery total blood cholesterol levels in 867 patients

with renal cell carcinoma - the most common type of kidney cancer in adults. The patients were

then followed for a median of 52 months.

Adding cholesterol levels to risk factors increases accuracy of prognosis

The analysis found the patients who had low blood cholesterol before treatment tended to

develop more advanced tumors and their kidney cancer spread more during follow-up.

Patients who had low blood cholesterol before treatment tended to develop more advanced tumors and their kidney cancer spread more during follow-up.

It also found that patients with high levels of cholesterol had a 43% lower risk of dying from

their kidney cancer than counterparts with low cholesterol.

And, when they added pre-treatment cholesterol levels to traditional risk factors, the

researchers found this increased the accuracy of prognoses.

The study did not investigate the biological reason behind the findings - that is still to

be clarified, note the authors. They speculate that perhaps certain components of cholesterol

affect the activity of cancer pathways to affect tumor growth and spread.

Whatever the reason, the team suggests cholesterol testing may help doctors monitor and treat

patients with kidney cancer.

"As this was a hypothesis-generating study, our findings should be confirmed in independent

datasets. If confirmed, patients with low cholesterol may be considered high-risk and may be

treated or followed up more aggressively," says Prof. Klatte.

One possible explanation, he adds, is that the tumor is feeding off the cholesterol, and this

causes its levels to drop. If that is the case, then cutting off the supply of cholesterol and

starving the tumor would be an option to consider in treatment.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

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Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.