Aspirin Against Cancer naproxen ibuprofen Celebrex Vioxx aspirin better treating cancer patients
"'Cancer] patients suffer from a tumor-suppressed immune system. The phenomena is attributable to the tumor itself, which promotes and secretes 'immune-suppressive] factors such as prostaglandin E2 (PG), known to be elevated in cancer patients... Cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors that block PG synthesis demonstrate remarkable anti-cancer effects. Evidence has accumulated showing the inhibition of COX-2 plays a key role in suppressing ...carcinogenesis...

"The data presented here are to the best of our knowledge the first to demonstrate a ...COX-2 inhibitor's 'immune-restoring] effect in 'humans] and provide the rationale for the use of NSAIDs 'aspirin and its spin-offs like naproxen and ibuprofen] for chemoprevention or 'supplemental] cancer therapies."

DETAILS: This study has been seized upon to initiate more exhaustive studies by drug companies pushing aspirin spinoffs like Celebrex and Vioxx. Since there is little money to make in selling plain old aspirin, the promotions to come may be of the benefits of these big money makers. Meanwhile, other studies that have examined these over-priced products have shown them to be INFERIOR to aspirin.

For more on these products and on aspirin itself, CLICK HERE TO SEARCH BY SUBJECT.

So how come oncologists have not used aspirin widely in treating cancer patients? Since there is little money in selling aspirin, the drug company salespeople are not out giving free theatre and baseball tickets to induce their use. Rather, they sell the physicians on the idea of using more expensive drugs which, especially in the case of aspirin, may be LESS EFFECTIVE.

Aspirin Against Cancer Bibliography

Land, Laufferf, Clausen, Lohr, et al., Dept. of Otolaryngologie, Inst. for Med. Info., Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians.-U. of Munich, D-81377, Germany, and Vaecgene Biotech, Munich. In The FASEB Journal, vol. 17, 2003.