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Familiar drugs may prevent cancer
R A Sharma1, A J Gescher, K J O'Byrne
1Oncology Department, University of Leicester, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK. ras20@le.ac.uk
Postgraduate Medical Journal
|July 27, 2001
Summary
Many common drugs show cancer-preventive potential, yet awareness among physicians is low. Understanding these chemoprevention benefits is crucial for patient care and risk management.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Physician awareness of drug cancer-preventive properties is limited despite trial evidence.
- Several commonly used drugs have demonstrated efficacy in large-scale chemoprevention trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the potential cancer-preventive properties of commonly used drugs.
- To inform physicians and medical students about the accumulating evidence base for chemoprevention.
Main Methods:
- Review of large-scale chemoprevention and intervention trials.
- Analysis of epidemiological evidence for drug efficacy in cancer prevention.
- Consideration of phytochemicals as alternative chemopreventive agents.
Main Results:
- Tamoxifen (antioestrogen) and celecoxib (COX-2 inhibitor) are licensed for breast and colorectal cancer chemoprevention, respectively.
- Folate and retinol reduce colorectal cancer and skin cancer incidence.
- Aspirin, NSAIDs, and ACE inhibitors show promise in preventing certain cancers; retinoids are effective in tertiary chemoprevention.
Conclusions:
- Physicians and medical students need to be aware of the evidence supporting drug use in cancer chemoprevention.
- Practitioners should discuss cancer risk estimation and intervention benefits with patients.
- Phytochemicals may offer less toxic alternatives for cancer chemoprevention.