COX-2 Inhibitors Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Interesting.

Omega six is a percusor of cox2. Cox 2 is involved in emergency repair at a cellular level.

It has also been hypothesised on this site that any increase in cox2 activity as a result of surgery may be one explanation for the reported increase following initial surgery, and an argument for pretreatment / exploration of other mechanisms of removal / ablation.

See previous post - role of omega 6 in cox2 production articles of interest section of this site - the importance of omega three and omega six in breast cancer.

If founded this is an argument for dietary adjustment of omega six fat intake.

RB


http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.as...31912&nav=EQls

COX-2 Inhibitors Reduce Breast Cancer Risk: Study

Controversial COX-2 inhibitors, used mainly as arthritis drugs, may reduce the risk of breast cancer, says an Ohio State University study in the journal BMC Cancer.

The study of 323 breast cancer patients and 649 healthy women found that those who took COX-2 inhibitors for at least two years had a 71 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, The Times of London reported.

Ibuprofen and naproxen were also effective. Women who took those drugs had a 63 percent lower risk of breast cancer.

The COX-2 inhibitors in this study included Vioxx and Celebrex. The study was partly funded by drug company Pfizer, which makes Celebrex. The remainder of the funding came from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, The Times reported.

Vioxx was withdrawn from the U.S. market because it was linked with heart disease. Celebrex is still on the market.

[Lyn]

I took Ibrufen regularly from 1988 onward for a connective tissue disorder, I got BC in 98 and have been on and off Ibrufen ever since. I took Celebrex for a while for pain to a fractured shoulder, it worked well for that but I got heart failure in 3 valves and had to stop as this drug contributed to it along with some other complications, I have also been taking Flaxseed Oil capsules 4000mg a day plus fish oil capsules and I have not been without disease for a periord any long than about 2 months since first diagnosis, so like everything else what works for some may not work for others. I have been taking a truck load of supplements, vitamins, lotions and potions over the years, to the stage I had to get a very large carry bag to keep them all in, now I have not replaced many when they have run out to the stage I now take a multi vitamin, calcium, and glucosamine suphate tablet and when the glucosamine runs out I won't replace it either as I have to take narcotics now for pain to the bones and joints. I feel that over the years I have just been making a lot of people richer through my desperation to stay alive, I even took Essiac Tea for 5 years, it isn't really a tea either, it just follows the process of making tea, and I have come to the conclusion that it is the Herceptin which has been doing the job and has been carrying all the other alternative drugs. I know some ladies have benefited by the supplements and also a lot haven't. When ever I do research on an alternative or drug for that matter, the usual opening is how much money the company has made from it, with no actual consideration for what the drug is being used for. I have put my 2 cents worth in, antd this is my conclusion from experience over the many years, not even the calcium made much difference when I had a slight fall, I don't have bone mets but I still managed to have to separate fractures as a result of two simple slips and falls.

Love & Hugs Lyn

[Patty H]

I also over the years have tried all kinds of supplements and never really had any results. I tried the milk free thing. I even called all reasturants before I ate out to see what foods had milk in them etc. The lady who wrote the book talked like she had immediant results but my next scan showed increased size of mets. From everything we hear I should of never had breast cancer. I used to go to the gym 3 times a week. I did what was called 9 is divine, where I ate 9 fruits and vegtables a day. Every time they come on the news saying women who did this or that have a lower risk of breast cancer, I have to shake my head! So I am down to a few standard supplements. But I must say I still fall for any new things I read. LOL Patty H

I totally understand the viewpoints of uncertainty expressed. Until they start figuring out how to do more defnative trials assessment of alterantive treatments supports will always be difficult.

In the area of fats the key seems to be cutting down on omega six as well as increasing omega threes. There are a large number of trials suggesting benifits from omega three, and drawing attention to the possible impact of omega six. It is the omega sixes that are the percussors of Cox 2, and impacts on numerous other gene and protein expressions which may / are beleived to link to BC.

Changing the fat balance is not hugely costly, and reported side effects of omega three limited compared to Cox inhibitors. It would therfore under advice seem very worthy of consideration as a dietary starting point.


RB


http://www.news-medical.net/?id=15706


ABSTRACT

Regular use of COX-2 inhibitors reduces breast cancer risk
Medical Study News
Published: Thursday, 2-Feb-2006
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Regular use of selective COX-2 inhibitors significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer. A case-control study published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer observed that daily use of selective COX-2 inhibitors, including celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx), was associated with a 71% reduction in the risk of breast cancer.

Non-selective COX-2 inhibitors, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, also reduced the risk of breast cancer. This study highlights the potential of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the prevention of breast cancer.

Randall Harris and colleagues from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, Ohio, USA, collected data on 323 patients with invasive breast cancer shortly after their diagnosis. Harris et al. matched the patients for age, race and county of residence with 649 control individuals with no personal history of cancer. Data collected for patients and controls included information on breast cancer risk factors, and the use of selective COX-2 inhibitors and other NSAIDs.

Harris et al.'s results show that selective COX-2 inhibitors, as a group, were associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer (OR=0.29) when taken daily for at least two years: a daily dose of 200 mg celecoxib reduced the risk of breast cancer by 83% and a daily dose of 25 mg rofecoxib reduced the risk of breast cancer by 64%. Regular use of non-selective COX-2 inhibitors - aspirin (325 mg), ibuprofen (200mg) and naproxen (250 mg) - also significantly reduced the risk of breast cancer, but less so than regular intake of selective COX-2 inhibitors. Ibuprofen and aspirin significantly decreased the risk of developing breast cancer when taken at least every other day for at least five years. Regular intake of acetaminophen, an analgesic lacking COX-2 activity, had no effect on the risk of breast cancer.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmccancer/

[Maryanne]

Was wondering if after reading Dr. Weils take on Asprin etc, if Celebrex might not be as good as thought for er/pr neg breast cancer.PRINT THIS PAGE | SEND THIS TO A FRIEND Uncertain About Aspirin and Breast Cancer?

I’m very confused. About a year ago, I read that taking daily aspirin helps prevent breast cancer. Now I hear that using aspirin or ibuprofen regularly increases the risk. Which is right?</B>

-- Margo</FONT>

Answer (Published 01/31/2006)Top 10 Q&A's:
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I don’t blame you for being confused. First, in 2003, analysis of data from the Women’s Health Initiative, a study involving almost 81,000 women, showed that long-term use of aspirin or ibuprofen reduced the risk of breast cancer, in some cases by as much as half.

The following year a study published in the May 26, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that the risk of breast cancer was 28 percent lower among women who took aspirin seven or more times per week than among women in a control group who didn’t take aspirin regularly. The aspirin effect was seen only for estrogen-dependent breast cancer, the most common type of the disease that requires the presence of estrogen for growth.

In 2005, two studies contradicted those earlier findings. One included more than 114,000 women who were cancer-free when the study began in 1995-1996. During the next five years, nearly 2,400 of them developed breast cancer Researchers found that aspirin use didn’t affect breast cancer risk overall, but among women who took aspirin daily, there was an 80 percent increased risk of estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer, a less treatable type. Using ibuprofen for five years was linked with a 50 percent increased risk advertisement
of breast cancer. The study was published in the June 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The second study, also published in 2005, included nearly 40,000 women and found that regular, low doses of aspirin don’t reduce the risk of any type of cancer, including breast cancer. The only possible exception was lung cancer – but here, the apparent protective effect has to be confirmed by further research. Results were published in the July 6, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

At this point, I wouldn’t recommend taking aspirin or ibuprofen daily to reduce your risk of breast cancer. Apart from the uncertainties about its effects, there are risks. Out of every 1,000 adults who take aspirin regularly for five years, up to two would be expected to have hemorrhagic strokes, and two to four would be expected to have major gastrointestinal bleeding. Having said that, I do not think there’s enough evidence to suggest that you should avoid aspirin or ibuprofen if you need it for treatment of pain. Clearly, the jury is still out on the subject of aspirin and cancer. We’ll need more studies to settle the issue one way or the other.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

[Marlys]

Maryanne,
In light of what happened with Vioxx my PCP had me stop taking Celebrex. This was prior to my being diagnosed with bc. That being said because of the risk, although minor, of congestive heart failure with Herceptin I would hesitate to take Celebrex again and have in fact found ibuprofen to be just as effective for most of my aches & pains. I might add that my rheumatoligist put me on Celebrex because I have Chron's disease and ibuprophen and aspirin were thought to be too aggravating to my small bowel. Such does not seem to be the case today.
Marlys

Interesting.

Do people with a greater disposition to arthritis have higher ER breast cancer rates?

Why were the people in the trials taking cox inhibitors.

If there was any wider link it might begin to explain the disrepencies in the results of the trials, one of which looks at general population studies and the other matched controls.

One could imagine all sorts of differences in the groups age profiles, general fitness and health, reasons for taking cox inhibitors etc.

RB