Common indigestion medicine could be used in fight against cancer

A drug used to treat indigestion has anti-cancer properties, researchers are claiming in a newly published paper.
The drug cimetidine can increase survival rates in colorectal cancer cases, according to the study published in ecancer. Scientists describe cimetidine as "one of the most interesting examples of repurposed drugs in oncology." and it is a drug whose efficacy in a range of different cancers has extensive pre-clinical and clinical evidence to support it.
In its common usage, cimetidine blocks histamine receptors in the gut, leading to reduced production of gastric acid. It was developed as a treatment for indigestion - also referred to as dyspepsia - and subsequently has been additionally used to treat gastric ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
However, cimetidine may also block histamine receptors in cancer cells and assist the immune system's defenses against the disease. Previous research has found the drug having a positive impact against colorectal and gastric cancer, melanoma and renal cell carcinoma.