Up until now, the letter C was the only thing in common between cancer and the common cold. Now there could be a deeper connection. Drugs used to treat the common cold might also be used to prevent bladder cancer. Researchers from Hokkaido University, Japan, introduced human bladder cancer cells into mice and let them grow for 45 days, after which they found tumours in the rodents’ lungs, liver and bones. They also found that introducing flufenamic acid, a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug used to treat the common cold, into cancer cells suppressed the cells’ invasive activities and restored the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs. They are now looking forward to clinical tests.

Photograph by iStock
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
December 2016