Using genetic variants to evaluate the causal effect of cholesterol lowering on head and neck cancer risk: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Gormley Mark , Yarmolinsky James , Dudding Tom , Burrows Kimberley , Martin Richard M , Thomas Steven , Tyrrell Jessica , Brennan Paul , Pring Miranda , Boccia Stefania , Olshan Andrew F , Diergaarde Brenda , Hung Rayjean J. , Liu Geoffrey , Legge Danny , Tajara Eloiza H , Severino Patricia , Lacko Martin , Ness Andrew R , Smith George Davey , Vincent Emma E , Richmond Rebecca C 
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which includes cancers of the oral cavity and oropharynx, is a cause of substantial global morbidity and mortality. Strategies to reduce disease burden include discovery of novel therapies and repurposing of existing drugs. Statins are commonly prescribed for lowering circulating cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR). Results from some observational studies suggest that statin use may reduce HNSCC risk. We appraised the relationship of genetically-proxied cholesterol-lowering drug targets and other circulating lipid traits with oral (OC) and oropharyngeal (OPC) cancer risk.

Methods and findings

We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). For the primary analysis, germline genetic variants inHMGCR, NPC1L1, CETP, PCSK9andLDLRwere used to proxy the effect of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapies. In secondary analyses, variants were used to proxy circulating levels of other lipid traits in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of 188,578 individuals. Both primary and secondary analyses aimed to estimate the downstream causal effect of cholesterol lowering therapies on OC and OPC risk.

The second sample for MR was taken from a GWAS of 6,034 OC and OPC cases and 6,585 controls (GAME-ON). Analyses were replicated in UK Biobank, using 839 OC and OPC cases and 372,016 controls and the results of the GAME-ON and UK Biobank analyses combined in a fixed-effects meta-analysis.

We found limited evidence of a causal effect of genetically-proxied LDL-C lowering using HMGCR, NPC1L1, CETP or other circulating lipid traits on either OC or OPC risk. Genetically-proxied PCSK9 inhibition equivalent to a 1 mmol/L (38.7 mg/dL) reduction in LDL-C was associated with an increased risk of OC and OPC combined (OR 1.8 95%CI 1.2, 2.8, p= 9.31 ×10−05), with good concordance between GAME-ON and UK Biobank (I2= 22%). Effects for PCSK9 appeared stronger in relation to OPC (OR 2.6 95%CI 1.4, 4.9) than OC (OR 1.4 95%CI 0.8, 2.4). LDLR variants, resulting in genetically-proxied reduction in LDL-C equivalent to a 1 mmol/L (38.7 mg/dL), reduced the risk of OC and OPC combined (OR 0.7, 95%CI 0.5, 1.0, p= 0.006). A series of pleiotropy-robust and outlier detection methods showed that pleiotropy did not bias our findings.

Conclusion

We found limited evidence for a role of cholesterol-lowering in OC and OPC risk, suggesting previous observational results may have been confounded. There was some evidence that genetically-proxied inhibition of PCSK9 increased risk, while lipid-lowering variants in LDLR, reduced risk of combined OC and OPC. This result suggests that the mechanisms of action of PCSK9 on OC and OPC risk may be independent of its cholesterol lowering effects, but further replication of this finding is required.

Author summary

Why was this study done?

To determine if genetically-proxied cholesterol-lowering drugs (such as statins which target HMGCR) reduce oral and oropharyngeal cancer risk.

To determine if genetically-proxied circulating lipid traits (e.g. low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) have a causal effect on oral and oropharyngeal cancer risk.

What did the researchers do and find?

There was little evidence that genetically-proxied inhibition of HMGCR (target of statins), NPC1L1 (target of ezetimibe) and CETP (target of CETP inhibitors) influences oral or oropharyngeal cancer risk.

There was little evidence of an effect of circulating lipid traits on oral or oropharyngeal cancer risk.

There was some evidence that genetically-proxied inhibition of PCSK9 increases, while lipid-lowering variants in LDLR reduces oral and oropharyngeal cancer risk.

What do these findings mean?

These findings suggest that the results of previous observational studies examining the effect of statins on oral and oropharyngeal risk may have been confounded.

Given we found little evidence of an effect of other cholesterol lowering therapies, the mechanism of action of PCSK9 may be independent of cholesterol-lowering. Further replication of this finding in other head and neck cancer datasets is required.