Celecoxib as Adjunctive Therapy for Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

To describe the role of celecoxib as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an inherited autosomal dominant predisposition syndrome for colorectal cancer. Literature was evaluated through MEDLINE search (1995-March 2000) and through secondary sources, using the search terms celecoxib, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, and familial adenomatous polyps. Observational studies have found a decreased rate of colorectal cancer in people who regularly took aspirin or other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval in December 1999 for the NSAID celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, for adjunctive therapy in patients with FAP, based on a six-month, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Aspirin and other NSAIDs reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer in the general population. Limited clinical studies in patients with FAP using nonaspirin NSAIDs have shown a reduction in polyp burden. A current clinical trial using celecoxib has also shown a reduction in polyp burden in patients with FAP. The long-term clinical impact of using a selective COX-2 inhibitor is not known, since celecoxib has not been studied beyond six months in patients with FAP. By reducing the polyp burden in FAP patients, celecoxib may be useful as adjunctive chemotherapy, in addition to routine endoscopic surveillance and surgery.