COX-2 inhibitors may also have effects in preventing other diseases, and his laboratory would like to explore their effects against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. He hopes to continue to look at COX-2 blockers at sub-therapeutic doses in chemoprevention.
"We need to look at a broader spectrum of conditions related to the inflammatory cascade and modulating the cascade with these and other compounds."
Variants in the alpha-Methylacyl-CoA Racemase Gene and the Association with Advanced Distal Colorectal Adenomas in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Screening Trial: Abstract No. LB-344
Researchers have shown that a particular version of a gene that enhances ibuprofen's anti-inflammatory effects also makes it more effective in preventing the development of potentially precancerous polyps in the colon.
Sarah Daugherty, research fellow at the National Cancer Institute and doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her colleagues looked at seven variants of the gene for alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase, or AMACR. This protein metabolizes branched chain fatty acids, cholesterol metabolites and enhances the activity of ibuprofen.
The AMACR protein is overexpressed in some cancers such as prostate, colon and precancerous colorectal adenomas, or polyps, though it is expressed very little in normal tissues. According to Daugherty, no one had examined the association between AMACR variants and colorectal adenomas or cancer.
The research team identified 725 white men and women between ages 55 and 74 who
'"/>
Source:American Association for Cancer Research