Some of the most commonly prescribed drugs have anticancer effects. Listed in this article are 4 medications that can be called the best chemoprevention agents that do not cause adverse effects or impinge on the quality of life.

Metformin

According to the authors of a review published in Digestive Diseases, the long-term administration of metformin in those with type 2 diabetes was linked with lower risks of cancer and cancer death. These effects are evident with liver cancer, oesophagal cancer, and gastric cancer.

The authors cited research demonstrating a 31% reduction in overall relative cancer risk in metformin users compared with patients taking other antidiabetic drugs especially with respect to hepatocellular cancer and pancreatic cancer. 

Aspirin, NSAIDs, and COX-2 selective inhibitors

In the aforementioned review, researchers explained that many factors could prevent colorectal cancer, such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental changes. In fact, environmental changes such as the intake of anti-inflammatory drugs could decrease the burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) by up to 70%.

The authors wrote:

“There have been several proposed mechanisms by which aspirin, NSAIDs, and COXIBs reduce risk of CRC. It seems that the most convincing hypothesis is related to the ability of these agents to inhibit COX-2, a key enzyme that promotes inflammation and cell proliferation. COX-2 is a principal enzyme that produces pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, which increases cellular proliferation and resistance to apoptosis and promotes angiogenesis.”  

Statins

According to the authors of a review published in Cancer Management and Research, various high-powered retrospective studies involving early-stage pancreatic cancer, as well as other types of cancers, demonstrate the chemopreventive prowess of statins.

Cancer cells rely on increased lipid biosynthesis for their metabolic needs and to supply cholesterol to the cell membrane, the authors noted. However, reducing cholesterol production is only a small part of the effect statins have on cancer cells. Of particular note, statins impede not only cholesterol formation but also the entire mevalonate pathway, via inhibition of HMGCoA reductase, the authors wrote.

The authors said:

“In addition to cholesterol, this pathway also leads to the production of isoprenoids, dolichol, ubiquinone, and isopentenyl adenine. Several members of this pathway have been shown to be essential for the survival of several cancer cell lines. Inhibiting the production of these factors leads to a decrease in cancer cell growth, protein synthesis, and cell cycle progression and to an increase in apoptosis in many cancer types. These effects appear to be independent of cholesterol, and in fact, studies have not shown a correlation between cholesterol levels and cancer progression."

Antibiotics

The endoscopic eradication of Helicobacter pylori decreases the risk of gastric cancer from this pathogenic cause, however, the risk of metachronous, or subsequent, gastric cancer remains high. 

Results from a Japanese retrospective study involving 1,347 patients who received eradication therapy found that during a follow-up of 2.55 years, 10.39% of patients developed metachronous cancers. The investigators found that the use of antibiotics other than those for H. pylori eradication was linked to a lower risk of metachronous gastric cancer. Furthermore, probiotic drug use was also linked to a lower risk.

Bottom line

When prescribing common medications, it may be useful to consider their chemotherapeutic effects in terms of cancer especially in high-risk patients. Chemoprevention is emerging as dynamic frontline therapy. Moving forward, leveraging the chemotherapeutic effects of common drugs could drastically reduce the global burden of cancers.

This story is contributed by Naveed Saleh and is a part of our Global Content Initiative, where we feature selected stories from our Global network which we believe would be most useful and informative to our doctor members.