Common NSAID Could Prevent Skin Cancer
Reported January 06, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — The widely available anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib (Celebrex) could protect against certain types of skin cancer.
A new study examining the effects of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called celecoxib on skin cancer involved 60 people with a genetic predisposition to a type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. About half of the participants received 200 mg of celecoxib twice a day by mouth for about two years, and the remaining participants received a placebo.
All study participants continued to develop new cancers, but treatment with celecoxib decreased the growth of skin tumors by about 50 percent compared to placebo. Patients receiving celecoxib also experienced a reduced overall tumor burden. Treatment with celecoxib did not significantly reduce tumor number or burden in patients who had more than 15 skin lesions upon entering the study.
Although the trial was discontinued because of concerns over cardiovascular complications associated with the treatment, no patients in the study died or suffered adverse cardiovascular events attributed to participation in the study.
Previous research found celecoxib inhibited the growth of another type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma in mice.
Source: Cancer Prevention Research, January 5, 2010