Researchers at Chiba University in Japan recently examined the response of mesothelioma cells when treated with a combination of two statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol and paired with a form of vitamin E called gamma tocotrienol (y-T3). In some studies, statin drugs have been shown to reduce the risk of ovarian and liver cancer.

T3 administered alone had previously been shown to have a negative effect on mesothelioma cells, but when researchers combined with the drugs Zocor and Lipitor, cell growth was further inhibited and rate of mesothelioma cell death was increased. The researchers believe the higher rate of cell death is a result of the statin drugs activating a protein called caspase 3, which plays a vital role in cell death and only occurred in the presence of the statins.

The combination has not yet been tested in humans, but research of this kind will prove to be revolutionary in the search for alternative and better treatment options for mesothelioma.