A component of green tea combined with a low dose (200mg) of a Cox -2 inhibitor (sold as Celebrex) may act in concert to slow the spread of prostate cancer.

Why am I interested in prostate cancer? My father has recently learned that his Prostate - Specific Antigen (PSA) results are very high and are getting higher. He does not know whether this is prostate cancer and might choose to not know (read my blog of 18 June). This has certainly made me more aware of prostate cancer and other prostate-related illnesses .

The journal, Clinical Cancer Research, reports that low doses of the Cox-2 inhibitor given along with a green tea polyphenol slowed the growth of prostate cancer in cell cultures and in a mouse model of the disease. It was found that the green tea and Celebrex have a synergistic effect that combined, are more powerful than either agent alone.

Back in the summer of 2000, a year before I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was told I had an abnormal pap smear. Cancerous and precancerous changes in the cervical cells are often first detected by the pap test. A sample of cells are removed from the cervix and then examined under a microscope. If the pap test does come back abnormal the physician will usually schedule a colposcopy. I was advised after my abnormal pap smear to go through this procedure. A colposcopy is when the doctor will use a microscope to better see the cervix and find abnormal cells that he can then remove and further evaluate. This procedure was not any more uncomfortable than a normal gynecological visit, except for the mild cramping afterward.

Unfortunately upon further evaluation I was diagnosed with cervical dysplasia which lead to me getting the LEEP procedure, loop electrosurgical excision procedure, an outpatient surgery. I was very scared since I had never been put under general anesthesia. I came out of the surgery and again all that happened was more cramping throughout the next few days. Since that time I have had normal pap smears and never miss my yearly appointment to get this test done.

A phase II clinical trial suggests that daily treatment of Celebrex (celecoxib) may effectively treat high-grade precancerous changes to the cervix. The results were published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology. Celebrex belongs to the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Researchers took 25 patients with high grade precancerous changes of the cervix and treated them with either Celebrex 200mg twice a day or a placebo.

The results showed that cervical abnormalities improved in 75 percent of patients treated with Celebrex and 31 percent of patients treated with the placebo. A complete disappearance of detectable cervical abnormalities was experienced by 33 percent of patients treated with Celebrex and 15 percent of patients treated with placebo.

The researchers conclude that Celebrex could offer a noninvasive approach to treating precancerous cervical changes. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Even though the LEEP procedure was not that terrible, it would have definitely been better to take a pill instead. I do hope this proves to be successful in the treatment of cervical dysplasia.

Celebrex (celecoxib) does not seem to show any benefit in patients receiving second line chemotherapy for lung cancer. Second line chemotherapy refers to treatment given when the initial treatment does not work or stops working.

According to the results of a phase II clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the effectiveness of Celebrex is not seen when added to chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Researches conducted the trial among 133 patients with stage IIIB or Stage IV NSCLC. Aside from pain, the addition of Celebrex did not improve patient symptoms or outcomes. One year survival was 24 percent among patients treated with Celebrex and chemotherapy and 36 percent among patients treated with chemotherapy alone.

Celebrex is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits the COX-2 enzyme, which plays a role in inflammation. There has been some evidence that COX-2 inhibitors may increase response to chemotherapy. Further research needs to be conducted since it is still possible that specific subsets of patients with NSCLC may benefit from COX-2 inhibitors.

Prescription drugs purchased online from Canadian pharmacies were intercepted before they reached the US, and after preliminary laboratory tests were found to be counterfeit. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers who may have obtained prescription drugs from Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy or Mediplan Global Health in Manitoba, Canada not to take the medication as it may not be safe.

The drugs in question are Lipitor, Diovan, Actonel, Nexium, Hyzaar, Ezetrol or Zetia, Crestor, Celebrex, Arimidex, and Propecia. Most of the drugs are prescribed for cholesterol disorders and high blood pressure; Actonel for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women; Nexium for gastroesophageal reflux disease; Celebrex for arthritis-related pain; Propecia for male-pattern baldness and Arimidex is a breast cancer chemoprevention medication.

Interestingly, the FDA conducted an investigation last year and discovered that nearly half of the imported drugs they confiscated from four selected countries were shipped to fill orders that consumers believed they were placing with Canadian pharmacies. The drugs did not come from Canada. According to the FDA, 85 percent actually came from 27 other countries around the globe. Buyer beware.

A new study found that combining the anti-inflammatory pain relief drug Celebrex, normally prescribed for arthritis, with the chemotherapy drug Tarceva, increased the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug in prolonging the lives of a lung cancer patients. According to the University of California researchers, Tarceva is found to be highly effective, but only for a small number of lung cancer patients. By adding Celebrex, the number of lung patients who benefit triples. This information comes from a small phase-one trial involving 22 lung cancer patients. However, the researchers stated that in their opinion, "Lung cancer is such a big killer that any improvement in treatment will affect many people. More than 173,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States alone this year and more than 160,000 people will die of it." I have to agree that any help is better than no help at all.