| First Author | Wilgus TA | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | J Invest Dermatol | Volume | 122 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1488-94 |
| PubMed ID | 15175041 | Mgi Jnum | J:90797 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3044803 | Doi | 10.1111/j.0022-202X.2004.22606.x |
| Citation | Wilgus TA, et al. (2004) Treatment with 5-Fluorouracil and celecoxib displays synergistic regression of ultraviolet light B-induced skin tumors. J Invest Dermatol 122(6):1488-94 |
| abstractText | Standard chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of pre-cancerous skin lesions and non-melanoma skin cancers are not completely effective. Several studies have suggested that repeated inflammatory sunburn reactions, which include the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the subsequent production of prostaglandins, play a role in skin cancer development. COX-2 inhibition has been demonstrated to be a potent means of preventing skin cancer development in mice; however, COX-2 inhibitors alone are not effective as chemotherapeutic agents. Data in a variety of cancer types suggest greater efficacy in treating tumors with combination chemotherapies. Therefore, we hypothesized that a combination of the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and the COX-2 inhibitor and anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib would act synergistically to regress tumors in a murine model of ultraviolet light B- (UVB-) induced carcinogenesis. We found that topical treatment with 5-FU and celecoxib together was up to 70% more effective in reducing the number of UVB-induced skin tumors than 5-FU treatment alone. Our data suggest that more effective chemotherapy regimens can be developed to treat the millions of pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions that arise every year, which could ultimately lead to a significant reduction in costs and cosmetic defects (scarring) associated with surgical interventions. |