Study Finds Chemotherapy Before Surgery Lowers Risk of Colon Cancer Recurrence

Giving colon cancer patients chemotherapy before surgery reduces the risk of the cancer coming back, according to results of a clinical trial funded by Cancer Research UK.

of Foxtrot test Giving colon cancer patients before surgery rather than after surgery was shown to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back by 28% within two years.

Led by scientists from the Universities of Birmingham and Leeds, the study involved 1,053 colon cancer patients from 85 hospitals in the UK, Denmark and Sweden.

Through follow-up evaluations, scientists found that patients who received chemotherapy before surgery were significantly less likely to have their cancer come back compared to those who received all chemotherapy after surgery. Did.

Scientists believe that giving bowel cancer patients chemotherapy before surgery could easily be adopted by the NHS and other healthcare systems around the world. At least 5,000 colon cancer patients in the UK and hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide could benefit from this treatment each year.

Dr Laura McGill, Associate Professor, University of Birmingham Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit, said:

“One in three colon cancer patients will see their cancer return after surgery. This number is too high, and new treatment strategies are needed to prevent colon cancer from recurring.” .

“The standard approach has been to administer chemotherapy after surgery to eradicate any cancer cells that may have spread before surgery. It shows that doing some increases the likelihood that all cancer cells will be killed.

“There is growing evidence demonstrating the value of preoperative chemotherapy for several other cancers, and we believe our results may change the way colon cancer is approached in the clinic. ”

Dion Morton, Professor of Surgery at the University of Birmingham, said:

“In many parts of the world, cancer treatment can be prohibitively expensive. rice field.

“Thanks to funding from Cancer Research UK, doctors in countries around the world will be able to translate these findings into clinical practice, saving thousands of lives.”

personalized cancer treatment

In total, 699 patients in the trial received chemotherapy before surgery. Leeds’ Jeff Hoggard entered the trial after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016.

“I’ve noticed blood in my poop a few times and it was very embarrassing at first. But I ended up being diagnosed with colon cancer and it was a big wake up call.” I was very shocked when I was told that I could see the cancer very clearly in the mirror and needed urgent treatment.

“I wanted to take every opportunity to get the most effective treatment. The FOxTROT trial felt like the best way to do that. When they offered to participate, I gladly signed up.

“I had chemotherapy for 6 weeks before surgery and 18 weeks after surgery, but it was hard. Brain fog and exhaustion took its toll on me. With the support of my family and my local church, I kept going.

“In the end, it was worth it. There have been no complications since the surgery, and months, years later, no signs of cancer. Six years later, I am fully alive.”

“I have no regrets about participating in the FOxTROT trial. I hope that the scientific advances that underpin this new approach and that have worked so well in my case will help many others live long, cancer-free.” increase.”

Matthew Seymour, Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at the University of Leeds, said:

“When it comes to treating colon cancer, timing is everything. The simple act of giving chemotherapy before rather than after surgery has some surprising results.

“Preoperative chemotherapy can prevent cancer recurrence without the need for expensive new drugs or new techniques. What I discovered was particularly encouraging.

Expanding this treatment around the world, including in low- and middle-income countries, could transform cancer care and save thousands of lives. “

Scientists are now advancing two clinical trials, FOXTROT-2 and FOXTROT-3, to investigate whether chemotherapy before surgery works in older patients and adding chemotherapy drugs before surgery. It is investigating whether this further reduces the chance of the cancer coming back. If these clinical trials are successful, patients will receive more customized cancer treatment based on their potential to benefit, with chemotherapy combined with newer types of chemotherapy offered to different patients. can do.

A paper entitled “Preoperative chemotherapy for operable colon cancer: Mature results of an international randomized controlled trial” was published today (19^th in January) Journal of Clinical Oncology.