The safety and efficacy of celecoxib in children with familial adenomatous polyposis.

OBJECTIVES: Celecoxib is approved as an adjunctive chemopreventive agent in adults with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Its safety and efficacy for colorectal polyps in children is unknown. We evaluated the short-term (3 months) safety and preliminary efficacy of celecoxib in children with FAP.

METHODS: This was a phase I, dose-escalation trial, with three successive cohorts of six children. Children of ages 10-14 years with APC gene mutations and/or adenomas with a family history of FAP were studied at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Cleveland Clinic. Colonoscopy was performed at baseline and month 3. Random assignment was in a 2:1 generic:placebo ratio, escalating from cohort 1 (4 mg/kg/day) to cohort 2 (8 mg/kg/day) to cohort 3 (16 mg/kg/day). Adherence and adverse event (AE) monitoring was conducted at 2-week intervals during drug administration. Safety profile, difference in number, and percent change in colorectal polyps were compared among the four treatments (placebo and the three dose-escalation groups).

RESULTS: Eighteen subjects completed drug dosing and both colonoscopies. Median age was 12.3 years (56% female). No clinically meaningful differences in AEs were seen between placebo subjects and subjects at any of the three celecoxib doses. Median polyp count at baseline was 31. There was a 39.1% increase in the number of polyps in placebo subjects at month 3, whereas in the highest dose celecoxib group, 16 mg/kg/day, a 44.2% reduction was seen (P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Celecoxib at a dose of 16 mg/kg/day, corresponding to the adult dose of 400 mg BID, is safe, well tolerated, and significantly reduced the number of colorectal polyps in children with FAP.