Most people who die from cancer don’t die from the original tumor. They die because the cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
This process is called metastasis. It means the cancer cells break away from the first tumor and travel through the body, forming new tumors in places like the lungs, liver, or bones.
After surgery to remove the main tumor, doctors often use chemotherapy to try to kill any cancer cells left behind. These leftover cells can be so small that surgeons can’t see or remove them. But there’s a problem: chemotherapy can sometimes cause inflammation in the body. This swelling and irritation may actually make it easier for cancer to spread.
A group of scientists at Emory University wanted to find out if they could stop this from happening. They studied a drug called ketorolac. Ketorolac is a type of painkiller that reduces inflammation.
It’s part of a group of drugs called NSAIDs, which also includes things like ibuprofen. Ketorolac is already approved by the FDA and is used for short-term pain relief, usually after surgery. But it’s not used often because doctors worry about side effects like stomach bleeding.
In this study, researchers gave ketorolac to mice before surgery. They discovered that it helped the immune system get stronger and attack cancer cells that were trying to spread. The mice that got the drug had fewer cancer cells in other parts of their bodies. They also lived longer than mice that didn’t get the drug.
The scientists then tried something else. They gave the mice a mix of ketorolac, a low dose of aspirin, and omega-3 fatty acids (which are found in fish oil). This combination worked even better. The mice lived even longer, and their cancers were less likely to spread.
This new research helps explain why some earlier studies found that breast cancer patients who were given ketorolac during surgery had better outcomes. It seems this drug may help the body fight cancer more effectively, especially if given at the right time—before surgery, not after.
The research team, led by Dr. Vikas P. Sukhatme, hopes that this discovery can lead to better treatments for people with cancer. Since ketorolac is already approved and available, it might be easier to test and use it in new ways. More research is still needed in humans, but the early results are promising.
If these findings hold up in future studies, doctors may one day use simple drugs like ketorolac before surgery to stop cancer from spreading. That could help save many lives.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and berry that can prevent cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
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