Anti-arthritis drug may prevent development of non-melanoma skin cancers.

Celecoxib (brand name Celebrex®) is currently used as a pain medication and is frequently used to treat arthritis, but new research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicates the drug may be effective at preventing the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 240 patients were tested over an 11-month period, after which researchers discovered the patients receiving celecoxib had a significantly smaller number of cases of non-melanoma skin cancer. Researchers believe the drug may be effective for high-risk patients and work is being done to study possible negative effects.