What is the Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib (APC) Trial?
The APC Trial was a clinical trial to determine if the arthritis drug celecoxib, which inhibits the enzyme COX-2, reduces the occurrence of new adenomas (precancerous polyps) in the colon and rectum of people who have already had such a polyp removed. More than 2,000 men and women age 30 and older were randomly assigned to take either 200 mg of celecoxib twice a day, 400 mg of celecoxib twice a day, or a placebo twice a day for three years. Participants taking celecoxib were found to have 33 percent to 45 percent fewer new adenomas than those taking a placebo. More than 90 centers, located mainly in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, took part in the trial. The trial enrolled participants from late 1999 through February 2002. • Why did NCI suspend the use of celecoxib in the Adenoma Prevention with Celecoxib (APC) Trial? The use of celecoxib in the APC Trial was suspended on Dec. 17, 2004, because an initial analysis by an independent Data Safety
