Celebrex Being Studied for Possible Role in Preventing Ovarian Cancer

The drug Celebrex, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) widely used to treat arthritis pain, is now being studied to see if it can play a role in preventing ovarian cancer.

Celebrex (celecoxib), first approved for the pain of arthritis, has more recently been tested for a possible role in preventing colon cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer.

It is now being studied by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to see if it can prevent ovarian cancer in high-risk patients who have opted for surgery to have their ovaries removed as a preventive measure.

Some patients in the study will be given Celebrex for three months prior to their surgery and some will not.

"We are examining the ovaries, after removal, to see if taking Celebrex can be associated with any molecular alterations possibly related to the prevention of ovarian cancer," said Dr. Mack Barnes, gynecologist-oncologist and lead researcher.

Other sources: University of Alabama at Birmingham