Document Type : Original Article(s)
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Radiation Oncology D
2 Department of Radiooncology, School of Medicine Seyyed Al-Shohada Hospital Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Background: Radiotherapy (RT) for pelvic cancers often causes gastrointestinal toxicity. While statins show promise in reducing radiation-induced injury through anti-inflammatory properties, their impact on acute toxicity remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin on acute gastrointestinal toxicity in patients undergoing pelvic RT for genitourinary or lower gastrointestinal cancers.
Method: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients receiving pelvic RT for genitourinary or lower gastrointestinal cancers were assigned to atorvastatin 40 mg or placebo daily. Toxicity was assessed using the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, with individual symptom frequencies as secondary outcomes. For data analysis independent t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA were used.
Results: Among 64 randomized patients with comparable baseline characteristics, no significant differences were found in questionnaire scores or symptom incidence between treatment arms (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Atorvastatin did not significantly reduce acute gastrointestinal toxicities during pelvic RT compared with placebo. Larger studies are needed to definitively evaluate statins the gastroprotective potential of statins in this context.
Highlights
Nadia Najafizade (google scholar)
Keywords
Main Subjects
This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination, and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.30476/mejc.2025.104665.2197
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