Repurposing drugs in oncology (ReDO)—Cimetidine as an anti-cancer agent

• Published in: Ecancermedicalscience Vol. 8; p. 485
• Main Author: Pantziarka, Pan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Cancer Intelligence 26.11.2014
• Subjects: Clinical Study; ReDO project; cimetidine; immunostimulant; drug repurposing
• ISSN: 1754-6605; 1754-6605
• DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2014.485

Cimetidine, the first H2 receptor antagonist in widespread clinical use, has anti-cancer properties that have been elucidated in a broad range of pre-clinical and clinical studies for a number of different cancer types. These data are summarised and discussed in relation to a number of distinct mechanisms of action. Based on the evidence presented, it is proposed that cimetidine would synergise with a range of other drugs, including existing chemotherapeutics, and that further exploration of the potential of cimetidine as an anti-cancer therapeutic is warranted. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that cimetidine administration during the peri-operative period may provide a survival benefit in some cancers. A number of possible combinations with other drugs are discussed in the supplementary material accompanying this paper.