Conditions: Colorectal Adenoma Colorectal Carcinoma
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 40
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to assess how effective celecoxib is in limiting production of a hormone, prostaglandin, in the subject's body. It is felt that this hormone is involved in the evolution of pre-cancerous growths in the colon to cancerous stage or in the progression of an existing cancer. To answer this question, some subjects are given the new investigational drug, and other subjects a placebo. A placebo is a capsule that contains inactive ingredients. Only by comparing the response of two subject groups, one receiving placebo (inactive), and one receiving celecoxib (active), will we be able to know whether or not celecoxib actually works. The outcome we are assessing is the hormone activity before and after celecoxib is given.

Detailed description:
We propose to test the hypothesis that celecoxib, a specific inhibitor of cyclooxygenase -2 (COX-2), will effectively inhibit the enzymatic activity in all tissues sampled after oral administration of celecoxib for 7 days preoperatively. One hundred twenty patients (120) undergoing standard surgical resection for the treatment of primary colorectal adenomas or carcinomas would be randomized to celecoxib or placebo given for 7 days prior to operation. Peripheral blood will be drawn prior to drug or placebo administration, and then morning of operation. At the time of definitive resection of the specimen, normal intestinal mucosa and primary tumor would be harvested and immediately snap frozen at -80 degrees. Levels of COX-2 activity (prostaglandin production) as well as expression of COX-2 and other markers (matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs), tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs), cell adhesion and cell cycle control molecules will be evaluated in normal mucosa and primary tumor compared between celecoxib and placebo treated patients.

Arms:
arm 1: 400 mg Celecoxib the study drug will be given for 7 days before surgery arm 2: Placebo in a one to one randomization prior to surgery

Interventions: intervention 1: Celecoxib intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 400 mg twice a day for 7 days prior to surgery intervention 2: one tablet of placebo will be given for 7 days prior to surgery

Protocol document: