NSAID Shows Promise in Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Toradol may limit ability of tumor cells to grow and spread.

A drug commonly administered after surgery may extend the survival of ovarian cancer patients, a recent study indicates.

Researchers evaluated the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Ketorolac (Toradol), to test the drug’s equal mixture of R- and S-ketorolac in women with ovarian cancer. The results indicate that when ketorolac is injected into patients, the body quickly removes S-ketorolac to allow R-ketorolac to gather in the peritoneal cavity.

This cavity houses the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and surfaces of other organs where ovarian cancer starts to grow.

R-ketorolac is able to turn off the GTPases that empower tumor cells to grow and spread. GTPases control cellular growth and spread and are more active in cancer cells, which makes an ideal target for cancer drugs.

Researchers examined the medical records of women who received ovarian cancer surgery between 2004 and 2006. The records show that after 5 years, patients who received ketorolac for pain after surgery were more likely to have survived the cancer.

Up next, researchers will conduct human clinical trials to better determine how ketorolac works in women following ovarian cancer surgery.