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A new study has shown that an anti-inflammatory medication can safely be used to prevent lung cancer in people with a higher risk of developing the disease.
Researchers at the University of Texas, USA, found that celecoxib, also known by the trade name Celebrex, reduces a specific proliferation measurement of precancerous lesions in the lung.
The findings demonstrate the significance of COX-2 inhibition in preventing lung cancer, and its implications on inflammation pathway in lung cancer development.
The research is the first large randomised trial of Celebrex in lung cancer prevention, and the findings will be presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) annual meeting.
The study at the university’s MD Anderson Cancer Centre demonstrates that the drug class is safe and tolerable, researchers claimed.
“As we move forward in lung cancer chemoprevention, the importance of this class of drugs cannot be ignored,” said Edward Kim, MD, assistant professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology.
The study looked at 212 patients, all of whom were current or former smokers with at least a one-a-day cigarette smoking habit. The average age of participants was 53.
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