Cyclooxygenase 2: a molecular target for cancer prevention and treatment.
Cyclooxygenase2 (COX-2), an inducible prostaglandin G/H synthase, is overexpressed in several human cancers. Here, the potential utility of selective COX-2 inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of cancer is considered. The mechanisms by which COX-2 levels increase in cancers, key data that indicate a causal link between increased COX-2 activity and tumorigenesis, and possible mechanisms of action of COX-2 are discussed. In a proof-of-principle clinical trial, treatment with the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib reduced the number of colorectal polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. Selective COX-2 inhibitors appear to be sufficiently safe to permit large-scale clinical testing and numerous clinical trials are currently under way to determine whether selective inhibitors of COX-2 are effective in the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Subbaramaiah
Kotha
K
Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Dept of Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Dannenberg
Andrew J
AJ
D000818:Animals; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis
D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases