(ANNOUNCER OPEN):
Many who suffer from arthritis take Celebrex and Vioxx to soothe aching joints. The drugs block production of a chemical called COX-2, which causes inflammation and may stimulate cancer growth. Ongoing research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, indicates that arthritis medications may prevent various forms of cancer. Dr. Ernest Hawk is from the National Cancer Institute.

(HAWK)
"Well, in animal models and human epidemiological studies, it appears that aspirin and aspirin-like drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex may retard the development of cancer broadly. It's best shown right now in the colon. There have been now about 35 studies done of that issue and it appears that aspirin is an effective anti-cancer agent although the details of how it might be best administered are still emerging."

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The current research is focusing on the prevention of colon cancer, second only to lung cancer as the leading killer of this disease.

This is Kelly Persinger, the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.