Celebrex for treatment of precancerous cervical changes
14th Nov 2006, 19:51 GMT
Filed under: Drug, Prevention, Cervical Cancer, Clinical Trials, Research Back in the summer of 2000, a year before I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was told I had an abnormal pap smear. Cancerous and precancerous changes in the cervical cells are often first detected by the pap test. A sample of cells are removed from the cervix and then examined under a microscope. If the pap test does come back abnormal the physician will usually schedule a colposcopy. I was advised after my abnormal pap smear to go through this procedure. A colposcopy is when the doctor will use a microscope to better see the cervix and find abnormal cells that he can then remove and further evaluate. This procedure was not any more uncomfortable than a normal gynecological visit, except for the mild cramping afterward. Unfortunately upon further evaluation I was diagnosed with cervical dysplasia which lead to me getting the LEEP procedure, loop electrosurgical excision procedure, an outpatient surgery. I was very scared since I had never been put under general anesthesia. I came out of the surgery and again all that happened was more cramping throughout the next few days. Since that time I have had normal pap smears and never miss my yearly appointment to get this test done. A phase II clinical trial suggests that daily treatment of Celebrex (celecoxib) may effectively treat high-grade precancerous changes to the cervix. The results were published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology. Celebrex belongs to the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Researchers took 25 patients with high grade precancerous changes of the cervix and treated them with either Celebrex 200mg twice a day or a placebo. The results showed that cervical abnormalities improved in 75 percent of patients treated with Celebrex and 31 percent of patients treated with the placebo. A complete disappearance of detectable cervical abnormalities was experienced by 33 percent of patients treated with Celebrex and 15 percent of patients treated with placebo. The researchers conclude that Celebrex could offer a noninvasive approach to treating precancerous cervical changes. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings. Even though the LEEP procedure was not that terrible, it would have definitely been better to take a pill instead. I do hope this proves to be successful in the treatment of cervical dysplasia. Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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