Chronic
inflammation is one of the main features of
cancer cachexia. Experimental and clinical studies showed that
cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, such as
celecoxib, may be beneficial in counteracting major symptoms of this devastating syndrome. We carried out a prospective phase II clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of an intervention with the
COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (300 mg/day for 4 months) on key variables of
cachexia (lean body mass, resting energy expenditure, serum levels of proinflammatory
cytokines, and
fatigue) in patients with advanced
cancer at different sites. A sample of 24 patients was enrolled from January to December 2008 and all were deemed assessable. A significant increase of lean body mass and a significant decrease of
TNF-alpha were observed. Moreover, an improvement of grip strength, quality of life, performance status, and Glasgow prognostic score was shown. There were no grade 3/4 toxicities. Patient compliance was very good; no patient had to reduce the
celecoxib dosage nor interrupt treatment. Our results showed that the COX-2 selective inhibitor
celecoxib is an effective single agent for the treatment of
cancer cachexia. Although the treatment of
cancer cachexia, a multifactorial syndrome, is more likely to yield success with a multitargeted approach; in the present study, we were able to show that a treatment, such as
celecoxib, addressing a single target, albeit very important as chronic
inflammation, could have positive effects. Therefore, phase III clinical trials are warranted to test the efficacy and safety of
celecoxib.