Celecoxib, a well known anti- inflammatory drug has been used effectively to treat arthritis and other painful conditions. It belongs to the family of COX-2 inhibitors and is helpful in relieving pain as it acts specifically against COX-2 enzyme which is responsible for the inflammation and pain associated with arthritis. Now, in a study reported at the IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, researchers led by Juergen Veeck from the Maastricht University Medical Center, Netherlands have stated that celecoxib can also be used as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of breast cancer.
The researchers carried out a randomized trial in 45 patients with primary invasive breast cancer who were scheduled to undergo surgery as a part of their treatment. A few of these patients were administered 400mg celecoxib twice daily for 2 to 3 weeks prior to their surgery while the remaining patients which acted as the control group were given placebos. Tissue samples taken before and after the trial were analyzed for changes in gene expression and proliferation of tumor cells. To their surprise, the researchers noticed that the genes involved in cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis (programmed cell death), extracellular matrix biology and inflammatory immune responses were particularly affected after treatment with celecoxib. Even a short term treatment with the medicine prior to surgery produced an antitumor response at a molecular level.
The results of the study throw up exciting possibilities. Dr. Veeck has speculated that when a short term course of celecoxib could produce an anti tumor response, a longer course of the medicine may probably result in shrinkage in the size of the tumor. There are strong possibilities that celecoxib, a relatively safe medicine with very few side effects, which has been known for its anti-inflammatory effect may soon be used as an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer as well.As the COX-2 expression is associated with Her2 status and aromatase levels in breast cancer, scientists would also like to explore the effect of celecoxib in combination with trastuzumab and other aromatase inhibitors on malignant breast tissue.
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