Aspirin, ibuprofen can improve the survival rate of patients with cancer

New York: A new study found that regular use of a common type of medication such as aspirin and ibuprofen significantly improves the survival rate of one-third of patients with cancer of the head and neck or more.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, for at least six months, have significantly improved the five-year survival rate from 25% to 78% in patients with modified gene, called PIK3CA. from the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) reported.

The use of NSAIDs has had no impact on the survival rate of patients whose gene has not been altered in the tumor. "Our results suggest that the use of NSAIDs could significantly improve outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer, but also for patients with other cancers with the PIK3CA mutation, "said Professor Jennifer R. Grandis of the UCSF.

"The magnitude of the apparent benefit is strong and could potentially have a positive impact on human health," said Grandis. In squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, PIK3CA is the most commonly impaired oncogene, with 34% of tumors carrying mutations activating the PIK3CA gene.

In human papillomavirus (HPV) badociated head and neck cancer, PIK3CA is mutated in more than half of all tumors. In the study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, 266 patients from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center whose tumors had been surgically removed were examined.

The majority (84%) smoked and 67% received postoperative chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy. The median overall survival was 66 months. In total, 75 tumors (28%) of the study showed an activating alteration of the PIK3CA gene.

Among patients who regularly used NSAIDs, 93% used aspirin as a component of the NSAID regiment, and 73% used aspirin exclusively. Most regular users started aspirin treatment after the diagnosis of head and neck cancer.

By badyzing both studies on cell lines and mice, the researchers hypothesized that NSAIDs probably blocked tumor growth by reducing the production of an inflammatory molecule called prostaglandin E2. The researchers pointed out that their results should be corroborated by a prospective trial.

"The use of NSAIDs probably confers a statistically and clinically significant benefit to overall survival in PIK3CA-impaired head and neck cancers through direct interaction between PI3K and COX pathways," said Grandis.