New hope for people with oesophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers
Researchers at UCC and CUH announced last Friday the results of exciting new research that has unlocked the key to why some cancer cells are resistant to chemotherapy. The results of the survey has led to a new Lithium Enhanced Chemotherapy treatment for people with oesophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers.
This breakthrough could improve the outcomes for the (approximately) 3,905 people who are diagnosed in Ireland every year with these diseases, which are responsible for almost 1,750 deaths annually. The announcement, made last Friday on World Cancer Day, was from research that was funded by Breakthrough, Irish medical research charity and led by Dr. Sharon McKenna at UCC.
“During the clinical trial, which has just enrolled its first few patients in Cork, the clinical research team will be monitoring the safety of combining lithium with standard chemotherapy, over a range of doses. It will also establish how well lithium works in combination with oxaliplatin and capecitabine to treat patients with advanced oesophago-gastric or colorectal cancer.
Because this is an alternative use of a known drug (lithium), it is likely to have a shorter timeframe to be adopted for treatment, should it prove safe after completion of this initial trial phase.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related death in Ireland (1,010 annually) and there are more than 2,819 new cases each year. Oesophageal and stomach cancers have two of the lowest five-year survival rates at just 24% and 30% respectively.
Because these types of cancers are rarely detected early enough for surgery (as they are internal), chemotherapy is the most common treatment. However, the cancer cells can be highly resistant to the chemo drugs, so the cancer frequently comes back.
Breakthrough is an Irish medical research charity focused on cancer research. The researchers they support currently have a particular focus on lung, ovarian, malignant melanoma, skin, pancreatic and oesophageal cancers. Over the past 20 years, Breakthrough has brought 8 new treatments successfully to clinical trial.