FRIDAY, Sept. 02 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of calcitriol and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) significantly inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory, according to findings published in the Sept. 1 issue of Cancer Research.
David Feldman, of the Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues used cDNA microarray analysis to track the genetic changes that happen when cancer cells are exposed to various agents.
The researchers report a 20% reduction in prostate cancer cell growth in cultured cells exposed to calcitriol. However, there was up to a 70% suppression of prostate cancer cell growth using a lower-dose combination of both calcitriol and an NSAID such as ibuprofen or naproxen, according to the study.
"The combination of calcitriol with NSAIDs synergistically acted to achieve significant prostate cancer cell growth inhibition at ~2 to 10 times lower concentrations of the drugs than when used alone," the researchers said.
The combination might be a possible chemopreventive or therapeutic strategy in prostate cancer patients, and "would allow the use of lower concentrations of both drugs, thereby reducing their toxic side effects," they conclude.
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