Cardiovascular/anti-inflammatory drugs repurposed for treating or preventing cancer: A systematic review and
David J Benjamin1, Alyson Haslam2, Vinay Prasad2
1Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, California, USA.
Cancer Medicine
|March 16, 2024
Summary
Cardiovascular drugs like metformin and statins, repurposed for cancer treatment, showed limited benefit in clinical trials. Most studies found no improvement in progression-free or overall survival for cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Growing interest in repurposing cardiovascular drugs (e.g., aspirin, ACE inhibitors, statins, metformin) for cancer treatment due to pre-clinical data and cost-effectiveness.
- Investigated anti-cancer effects of repurposed drugs including HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors, aspirin, metformin, ARBs, ACE inhibitors, and NSAIDs.
Approach:
- Systematic literature review of PubMed and Web of Science (2000-2023).
- Searched for terms: aspirin, NSAID, statin, metformin, ACE inhibitors, ARBs in combination with cancer.
- Included human studies and analyzed outcomes like overall survival, progression-free survival, response, and disease-free survival.
Key Points:
- 67 randomized clinical trials were included, with metformin, celecoxib, and simvastatin being most common.
- Most studies focused on non-small-cell lung cancer, breast, colorectal, and hepatocellular cancers.
- The majority of studies (86.1% for PFS, 94.3% for OS) did not show improved progression-free or overall survival.
Conclusions:
- Repurposed cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory drugs generally did not demonstrate significant benefit in treating or preventing cancer recurrence.
- Findings suggest current evidence does not support widespread use of these repurposed drugs in oncology.
- Results may inform future clinical trial designs for these medications in cancer treatment.
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