Researchers working on the project Repurposing Drugs in Oncology have found that a common painkiller called Diclofenac has anti-cancer properties.
The Repurposing Drugs in Oncology (ReDO) project reunites researchers in an international collaboration between the U.S. based GlobalCures and the Anticancer Fund, Belgium. The team of scientists found that the widely-used non-cancer drugs may provide a good source of new therapies for cancer.
The findings of the scientific investigation on diclofenac's anti-cancer properties have been published in the online journal eCancerMedicalScience. Diclofenac is a cheap and accessible drug, like other drugs examined by the ReDo project. It has been carefully tested and it's advantage is that it is already present in many medicine cabinets.
Previous studies have found other NSAIDs that have shown promise in cancer prevention. However, now the medical community has access to emerging evidence that such drugs could be also used in actually treating various types of cancer. For instance, diclofenac taken in combination with other cancer treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, could improve their effectiveness.
After studying the medical literature, the ReDO researchers came to the conclusion that there is enough evidence supporting its positive effects in treating cancer and decided to start clinical trials on diclofenac.
Diclofenac is widely used as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for treating pain in various medical conditions such as fever, migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, post-surgery pain and acute. It is cost-effective and available as a generic medication.
Many generic drugs might prove "multi-targeted agents with interesting and useful effects on multiple pathways of interest in oncology", declared the study author Pan Pantziarka, PhD, member of the ReDO project and the Anticancer Fund, as reported by Science Daily.
Diclofenac has multiple mechanisms of clinical action, particularly linked to the immune system and angiogenesis. This may make lead to the drug's huge potential to treat cancer. According to researches, its effects are especially strong when taken in the perioperative period.
