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Abstract | Full HTML Article | PDF ecancer 8 485 / DOI: 10.3332/ecancer.2014.485

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

Pan Pantziarka, Gauthier Bouche, Lydie Meheus, Vidula Sukhatme and Vikas P Sukhatme

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.

Keywords: Drug repurposing, cimetidine, immunostimulant, ReDO project