1. Painkiller
One of the most common over-the-counter painkillers, aspirin blocks enzymes used in the manufacture of prostaglandins, chemicals that alert the brain to pain and make tissue swell by triggering the release of fluid. It reduces the chronic inflammation believed to trigger DNA damage in cells and lead to tumours forming. Scientists believe aspirin may also limit production of a protein that has the potential to mutate a healthy cell into a cancer cell. A Harvard University study of more than 200,000 women published this month found that those taking 75mg dose a day were 23 per cent less likely to develop ovarian cancer.
2. Diabetes pill
Metformin – also known as biganide – is one of the medicines most commonly given to type 2 diabetics, a condition characterised by a dangerously high blood sugar. It works by preventing the production of glucose in the liver, improving the sensitivity of muscle cells towards the hormone insulin and reducing the amount of sugar absorbed by the intestines. In cancer, it suppresses the process within cells involved in generating glucose, which cancer needs to grow. The drug inhibits an enzyme involved in this process without affecting normal cells.
Results published in the journal Cancer Causes And Control last month showed that patients on the treatment had a reduced rate of liver cancer when compared to those on an alternative anti-diabetes tablet, according to the Vanderbilt University, study which was based on data from nearly 85,000 patients.
Several drugs designed for other purposes can be used to battle cancer
3. Parasite drug
Mebendazole is a treatment for threadworms. It is thought to work by blocking the parasites from absorbing sugars needed to live. The drug inhibits parts of the cell involved in glucose uptake. It is believed to inhibit the growth of cancer cells by breaking down a protein involved in enabling tumour cells to get energy. The treatment stopped brain tumours growing in mice implanted with cancer cells, according to research by Johns Hopkins University in the US. Trials are now under way to test its potential in children and adults with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.
4. Cholesterol pill
Statins work by blocking the enzyme HMG CoA Reductase, which the liver uses to make cholesterol – a type of fat that is useful in small amounts in the circulation, as it helps form cell walls, but in larger quantities may contribute to heart disease.
The drugs are thought to halt tumour growth in a similar way: HMG-CoA reductase is involved in producing cholesterol which cancer cells use for energy. An analysis by the National Cancer Centre in Beijing has shown statins such as atorvastatin and lovastatin could cut the risk of dying from breast cancer by 38 per cent. The findings were based on studies involving 200,000 women diagnosed with the disease and presented in June 2017 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in the US.
5. Antibiotic
Doxycycline is an antibiotic prescribed for conditions ranging from pneumonia to acne. It suppresses the ability of bacteria to make the necessary proteins for survival. It also suppresses the ability of cancer stem cells to make new mitochondria, the parts of the cell that generate energy enabling the cancer to feed and grow. A low daily dose of the drug can kill aggressive cells that cause tumours to return in some people with breast cancer. This is according to a Salford University study published this month.