Combination of Celebrex and Lipitor may prove effective in fighting prostate cancer

WASHINGTON A new combination between the drugs Celebrex, which lowers cholesterol, and Lipitor, an anti-inflammatory drug, can be used in controlling prostate cancer before it becomes deadly, according to published reports.

The study first cultured prostate tumors in mice, and then gave the mice either Lipitor or Celebrex, or a combination of the two. All proved to be successful in halting cancer growth. The study also found that putting a combination of Lipitor and Celebrex in lower doses was most effective. Scientists have yet to find why these two combinations have such a positive effect on fighting prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer killer in men, and the presence of the two drugs may help stop the progression of the cancer before it gets worse, according to the study.

Even though this discovery has gone only through preliminary trials, many are excited by the positive implications it may have for prostate cancer. According to K. Scott Coffield, a professor of surgery at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a urologist-oncologist at Scott & White, “They need to come up with the molecular mechanics and then take it back to clinical trials. It’s early but it’s interesting and that’s wonderful.”

The research will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego.