Effects of Anti-Inflammatory Agents and Radiotherapy in Lung Cancer: Response to Treatment and Tumor Repopulation

• Grant number: 25/02518-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Roger Chammas
• Grantee: Vitor Almeida Premero
• Host Institution: Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira (ICESP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Lung cancer, the second most common type of cancer, was responsible for 1.80 million deaths worldwide in 2020. Among the various treatment modalities, radiotherapy is the most indicated for this type of disease. However, obstacles such as the development of radioresistance in tumor cells and high toxicity in healthy cells make treatment more challenging. Based on the relationship between tumor progression and the effects of radiation on the inflammatory process, promising targets for radiosensitization emerge in the inflammatory pathways. The COX pathways, associated with the inflammatory process induced by cancer and the consequent progression, have been the subject of studies due to the antitumor effect of their inhibition through the use of NSAIDs and coxibs. Inhibition of the COX pathway may have synergistic effects in some situations when combined with radiotherapy, representing a promising strategy in the treatment of lung cancer. However, the adverse effects associated with the use of these drugs still represent an obstacle to their clinical application. Furthermore, tumor repopulation and treatment resistance are significant challenges that compromise the long-term efficacy of therapy. Therefore, this research aims to understand the implications of this combined treatment, in addition to comparing the effects of celecoxib and etodolac, coxib and NSAIDs of great potential, in the process of resistance and tumor repopulation, with the aim of determining the best treatment window to combat the disease.