Studies find Celebrex may protect against cancer

CHICAGO, Apr 4 (Reuters) Celebrex, a commonly used painkiller and treatment for arthritis, may help prevent colon cancer in high-risk patients, but it also raises the risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers said.

Pfizer Inc. said sustained, higher doses of Celebrex can reduce pre-cancerous polyps.

According to two studies presented yesterday at the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, the over-expression of the COX-2 enzyme is related to the growth and spread of colorectal tumors.

COX-2 inhibitors may reduce the occurrence of the precursor, colorectal adenomas (benign tumors), in patients with a family history of the disease, as well as the development of sporadic colorectal tumors.

Reuters DKS DB0842