Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, including at least three major forms: hereditary, sporadic and colitis-associated CRC. A large body of evidence indicates that genetic mutations, epigenetic changes, chronic inflammation, diet and lifestyle are the risk factors for CRC. As elevated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression was found in most CRC tissue and is associated with worse survival among CRC patients, investigators have sought to evaluate the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and selective COX-2 inhibitors (COXIBs) on CRC. The epidemiological studies, clinical trials and animal experiments indicate that NSAIDs are among the most promising chemopreventive agents for this disease. NSAIDs exert their anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects primarily by reducing prostaglandin production by inhibition of COX-2 activity. In this review, we highlight breakthroughs in our understanding of the roles of COX-2 in CRC and inflammatory bowel disease. These recent data provide a rationale for re-evaluating COX-2 as both the prognostic and the predictive marker in a wide variety of malignancies and for renewing the interest in evaluating relative benefits and risk of COXIBs in appropriately selected patients for cancer prevention and treatment.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 781-788 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Oncogene |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Colorectal cancer
- Cyclooxygenase
- Inflammation
- NSAIDs
- Prostaglandins
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cancer Research