A drug commonly prescribed by doctors to relieve pain and inflammation may also help retard the growth of cancerous tumors, a new study says.

In a study featured in the journal Cancer Research, experts from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) examined the impact of using the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) celecoxib on the development of tumors.

The drug is used to target an enzyme known as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which is not only associated with pain and inflammation in the body but also the formation of prostaglandin compounds that are crucial to the growth of cancerous tumors.

While the expression of COX-2 is often minimal in normal tissues, the researchers said, it is more common in different kinds of cancers.

Joseph Kissil, a professor at TSRI and lead author of the study, said that they were initially focused on discovering what a signaling pathway specifically does in cancer.

During the course of the study, they found that this pathway serves to activate genes that are associated with the promotion of tumor cells in the body. This is done by activating COX-2 and other inflammation-inducing enzymes, which NSAIDs such as celecoxib can help prevent.

Kissil and his colleagues carried out animal studies to determine the impact of celecoxib on the development of cancer cells, particularly those of a tumor type called neurofibromatosis type II (NF2).

Neurofibromatosis type II is a hereditary form of cancer that is rarely seen in humans. This is triggered by a mutation of the NF2 anti-tumor gene, which causes the formation of malignancies in the auditory nerve.

The researchers provided the animal subjects with daily doses of celecoxib and monitored the growth of tumors in their bodies through imaging.

They found that animals that received the anti-inflammatory drug experienced a significantly slower growth of tumors compared with those that were not given the medication.

The findings identified that a signaling cascade called the Hippo-YAP pathway was involved in the retardation of tumor development in the animals. It also showed that the protein known as YAP is a key element in allowing NF2 cells to survive and proliferate in the body, leading to the formation of tumors.

Study co-author William Guerrant pointed out that their study proves that COX-2 inhibitors can impact the proliferation of cancer cells and the formation of tumors. He said it may even be possible that these drugs may even have a stronger effect on other forms of cancers because of how they affect inflammation.

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