Celebrex - helps with diarrhea??

taraHK

There was an interesting article on Medscape about whether celebrex (celecoxib) helps with diarrhea in colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemo for metastases (especially irinotecan-based combinations).

The conclusion seems to be that there is no solid evidence from clinical trials, but that a number of oncologists are reporting some sucess (this is MY interpretation of the article -- please check with your doc/the original article).

Interestingly, several years ago my oncologist recommended celebrex (an anti-inflammatory) for me, as a possible preventative (too late for prevention of my original cancer! but as a try to prevent recurrence). Unfortunately, it irritated my stomach (not supposed to! but it did me).

Wonder if others have experience with celebrex. Luckily I am not not experiencing acute diarrhea at the moment (on xeloda) but for others who are, you might want to ask your doc about this??

I'll try to past link to original article. You may have to sign up to have access. I receive their "week in review" postings....

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/588174?src=mp&spon=17&uac=42767DZ

Tara

mono5

Problems with Celebrex
Celebrex -- the only cox-2 inhibitor left on the market after Vioxx and Bextra were pulled in 2004 and 2005, respectively -- currently carries the FDA's strongest "black box" warning informing consumers of the heart risks associated with the drug.

Two different three-year studies determined that although the Cox-2 painkiller Celebrex slightly lowers the occurrence of pre-cancerous polyps, it more than doubles the risk of serious heart problems.

The larger of the two studies -- conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston -- tracked the occurrence of polyps called adenomas in more than 2,000 patients with a prior history of the growths, which are precursors to colon cancer. The patients were split into three groups: The first received placebo, the second received 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day and the third received 400 mg of Celebrex twice daily.

The patients received regular colonoscopies for the next three years, and by the study's end, the researchers found that 60 percent of the placebo patients had developed polyps, while 43 percent of the lower-dose Celebrex recipients developed the growths, and 37.5 percent of the high-dose patients grew polyps. However, the patients taking Celebrex had more than double the rate of serious cardiovascular events compared to the placebo patients. The low-dose patients ran a particularly high risk, with 2.6 times the rate of heart problems over the placebo group.

"The message is that celecoxib (Celebrex) has no role as a chemotherapeutic agent -- in people with adenomas or in people among the general population," writes Dr. Bruce Psaty, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington who co-authored an editorial accompanying the study in the Aug. 31 New England Journal of Medicine. "The risks far exceed the potential benefits."

Check out Zyflamend, a safe,natural anti-inflammatory formula that works incredably well for inflamation and it also has herbs that are effective against cancer. Research at:

http://www.naturalnews.com/023680.html

Can be purchased at most health food stores and on the net.

msccolon

Celebrex
I read the same article and I was wondering about it as well! I actually didn't start on Celebrex until after I completed my last rounds of chemo, so I can't say whether it would have helped or not! Of course, the amounts they were talking about were well above what the usual recommended dosage is, and with the whole heart issue, I'm not sure I would be willing to see if it would help!
mary