Cancer becomes much more dangerous when it spreads from its original location to other parts of the body. This process is called metastasis, and it is responsible for most cancer-related deaths.
When cancer cells break away from the main tumor, they can travel through the blood or lymph system and form new tumors in distant organs such as the lungs, liver, bones, or brain. These tiny groups of cancer cells are often too small to be seen with scans or during surgery.
Because of this, surgeons may successfully remove the main tumor while microscopic cancer cells remain behind. To reduce this risk, many patients receive chemotherapy after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells before they can grow into new tumors.
Although chemotherapy has saved many lives, it also has some unwanted effects. One concern is that it can trigger inflammation in the body.
Inflammation is a normal part of the body’s healing process, but in some situations it may create conditions that help cancer cells survive and spread. Scientists have been searching for safe ways to reduce this problem and strengthen the body’s own defenses against cancer.
A new study from Emory University suggests that an existing pain-relieving medicine called ketorolac may offer a promising solution. Ketorolac belongs to a group of medicines known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. These medicines reduce pain and swelling by lowering inflammation.
Ketorolac is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for short-term pain relief after surgery and other medical procedures, which means doctors are already familiar with how to use it.
However, it is not used as often as some other pain medicines because it can increase the risk of side effects, including bleeding and kidney problems in some patients.
The research team wanted to find out whether reducing inflammation before surgery could also help prevent cancer from spreading. Their results showed that giving ketorolac before surgery activated important parts of the immune system.
Instead of simply reducing pain, the drug appeared to help immune cells find and destroy small metastatic cancer cells that had already escaped from the original tumor.
The researchers believe this may explain why earlier studies found that breast cancer patients who received ketorolac around the time of surgery appeared to have a lower risk of cancer spread. The new work provides stronger evidence that the drug may directly support the body’s natural ability to fight metastatic cancer.
The study also produced another encouraging result. In experiments with mice, ketorolac not only reduced cancer metastases but also helped the animals live longer. Even better results were seen when ketorolac was combined with low-dose aspirin and omega-3 fatty acids.
Aspirin is another anti-inflammatory medicine, while omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats commonly found in fish and fish oil. Together, this combination further improved survival, suggesting that using several treatments that work in different ways may provide greater protection against cancer spread.
The scientists believe this approach deserves further study in people. Because ketorolac is already an approved medicine, researchers may be able to test it in clinical studies more quickly than developing a completely new drug.
Even so, the findings do not mean that cancer patients should start taking ketorolac, aspirin, or omega-3 supplements on their own. These treatments can have side effects and may not be suitable for everyone, especially around the time of surgery.
The researchers hope future clinical trials will determine whether ketorolac can safely be combined with other cancer treatments to improve patient outcomes. If successful, this strategy could provide doctors with a simple and relatively inexpensive way to reduce the risk of metastasis after cancer surgery.
The study was led by Dr. Vikas P. Sukhatme and was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The findings highlight the growing interest in repurposing existing medicines for new medical uses.
By discovering new ways to use drugs that are already available, scientists may be able to deliver better treatments to patients more quickly while lowering the time and cost needed to develop completely new medicines.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing higher intake of dairy foods linked to higher prostate cancer risk.
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