A widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, atorvastatin, may offer new hope in the fight against liver cancer, according to researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The HKU Medical School team discovered that atorvastatin can directly attack liver cancer cells by blocking the “mevalonate pathway” – a process these cells rely on to grow and survive. This pathway is especially active in cancers linked to fatty liver disease, which is becoming more widespread around the world.

In laboratory studies, atorvastatin on its own reduced tumour growth by one-third. When paired with existing therapies such as immunotherapy drugs or the targeted medicine Lenvatinib, tumour reduction reached up to 58 percent.

Because atorvastatin is already safe, affordable, and widely prescribed, experts believe it could be repurposed as a new treatment option. The HKU team is now preparing clinical trials to test the drug’s effectiveness in patients, raising hopes for more accessible liver cancer therapies.