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Combining two chemotherapy drugs for advanced gallbladder and bile duct cancer
improves survival by a third, according to results from a Cancer Research UK
funded trial presented today at the American Society of Clinical
Oncology (ASCO) conference.
The trial, run by the Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre, was
the largest ever phase III clinical trial for these cancers. They found that
for patients receiving both gemcitabine and cisplatin it reduced the chance
of the cancer growing by 28%.
Also, patients given this combination of drugs lived longer – on average
11.7 months compared to 8.3 months for those on the trial receiving gemcitabine
alone.
The trial, called ABC02, recruited over 400 UK patients with advanced gallbladder
and bile duct cancer which can’t be operated on. One group had a combination
of gemcitabine and cisplatin and the second group were treated with gemcitabine
alone. The treatment lasted for 24 weeks for both groups of patients.
Gallbladder and bile duct cancers are rare and very difficult to treat in the
advanced stages. Of those diagnosed with the disease only around one in 10 will
survive for more than five years.
Dr Juan Valle, consultant oncologist at The Christie in Manchester and co chief
investigator for the trial, said:
"This important trial has shown that adding cisplatin to gemcitabine
slowed cancer progression and extended survival for these rare but hard-to-treat
cancers, with minimal side effects. This establishes the combination treatment
cisplatin and gemcitabine as an international standard of care for patients
with advanced gallbladder and bile duct cancers.
If gallbladder cancer is picked up early, the best treatment is an operation
to remove it. But often the disease isn’t detected in time as there
are few symptoms in the early stages. This makes it vital to find the best
chemotherapy treatment for people in this situation."
The trial started in May 2005 and finished in September 2008.
Kate Law, director of clinical trials at Cancer Research UK, said:
"Treating advanced gallbladder and bile duct cancer is very difficult
and these results make us hopeful of adding precious extra months to a person’s
life. We are committed to find new treatments for patients with rare and hard
to treat cancers and hope these trial results will improve the way these cancers
are treated across the world."
Cancer Research UK
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is
to beat cancer.
*
Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve
understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat
different kinds
of cancer.
* Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives
of all cancer patients.
* Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is
being made and the choices each person can make.
* Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest
impact in the global fight against cancer.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how
to support the charity, please call 020 7009 8820 or visit their website (link
at bottom of this page).
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health
issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed
in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in
this news item was released by Cancer Research UK on 2
June 2009 and may have been edited (e.g. in style,
length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion
here. For further information, please visit their website.
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