Simvastatin in Preventing Liver Cancer in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis

Inclusion Criteria

• •Confirmed diagnosis of liver cirrhosis assessed by the presence of clinical signs, symptoms, body imaging (ultrasound, computed tomography \[CT\], or magnetic resonance imaging \[MRI\]), or liver biopsy
• •Age \>= 18 years
• •Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 1 (Karnofsky \>= 70%)
• •Leukocytes \>= 2,500/microliter
• •Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/microliter
• •Platelets \>= 50,000/microliter
• •Hemoglobin \>= 8 g/dL
• •Total bilirubin =\< 3 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN)
• •Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase \[SGPT\]) =\< 5 x institutional ULN
• •Creatinine =\< 1.5 x institutional ULN
• •Women who are able to become pregnant must have a confirmed negative pregnancy test result prior to enrollment; women \>= 50 years of age who have not had a menstrual period in the past year; and women who have had a hysterectomy, both ovaries removed, or a tubal ligation; will not be required to have a pregnancy test
• •The effects of simvastatin on the developing human fetus at the recommended therapeutic dose are unknown; for this reason, women who are able to become pregnant must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry and for the duration of study participation; should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her study physician immediately
• •Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document and medical release
• •Willing and able to comply with trial protocol and follow-up
• •Have had an abdominal imaging test (CT, MRI, or ultrasound) within the past 18 months
• •Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements
• •History of chronic myopathy
• •Prior germ cell cancer
• •History of active malignancy within the past 5 years (excluding basal/squamous cell skin cancer or prostate cancer with a Gleason score 6 or less)
• •Known active infection with HIV
• •Medical contraindications to blood draw (e.g., hemophilia)
• •Concurrent illness which in the opinion of the investigators would compromise either the patient or the integrity of the data
• •Current excessive alcohol consumption (average alcohol consumption of more than 5 drinks per day)