Painkillers are medications usually in pill form used for aching body parts. Recently, a new research revealed that a common painkiller known to treat migraines, fever and rheumatoid arthritis contain components that can fight cancer.
According to the Repurposing Drugs in Oncology (ReDO) project, an international organization that is the product of a joint venture between Anticancer Fund, Belgium, and US-based GlobalCures, an already widely used drug might be an unlikely source of treatment for cancer. The group studied various pills found in the medicine cabinets of almost every house in America and discovered one particular type, which they believe might be used as a solution for cancer.
Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is widely known as a go-to medication for rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, fever, acute gout and post-operative pain. Some of its other names are Voltaren, Zipsor, Solaraze, and Cambia. Diclofenac is also one of the cheapest and most available drug in the market.
Previous reports have shown that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS have significant effects when it comes to cancer prevention. Furthermore, recent studies showed various evidences saying that this particular type of drugs can actually play a factor when it comes to treating cancer.
Like for an instance, administering diclofenac to a patient while he or she is doing other cancer treatments such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The researchers have analyzed a previously recorded data from 1983, which revealed that the drug showed anti-tumor effects against fibrosarcoma, colorectal cancer, neuroblastoma, ovarian cancer and many others.
In a recent statement released in a press conference by Dr. Pan Pantziarka, a researcher at the Anticancer Fund, stated that their work showed how surprising it is that most of the public still don't know how much everyday drugs such as diclofenac might help fight cancer.
However, he also added that the more people learn about NSAIDS, the more they'll be able to see how this particular type of drugs will be multi-targeted agents that will have an interesting effect on various directions of oncology.
