Category Archives: Chemotherapy

New trial to test spice extract curcumin against bowel cancer

Posted on by
Curry spice turmeric

Could a spice extract help to treat bowel cancer? (image by Sanjay Acharya)

Headline writers take note: curry doesn’t cure cancer.

But over the years, several studies have given researchers a tantalising glimpse of the cancer-fighting potential of a chemical called curcumin, an extract of the yellow curry spice turmeric. This is the chemical that gives some drinks, sweets and foods – notably curries and Jaffa cakes – their bright colouring.

But it seems that as well as its culinary properties, curcumin can slow the growth of cancer cells in the lab.

Our scientists are now building on this early work by starting a clinical trial to find out if curcumin could help to treat people with advanced bowel cancer.

This doesn’t mean that a curry or Jaffa cake a day will keep the doctor away. In fact, taken to extremes, such a diet could increase your chances of being overweight, which ups the risk of developing cancer.

And the evidence just isn’t there yet to recommend anyone starts taking curcumin-containing supplements to ward off cancer.

But this small trial will answer some important questions about whether curcumin’s promise in the lab can be translated into an effective, standardised treatment for bowel cancer.

Continue reading →

Trial success helps patients avoid radical bladder cancer surgery

Posted on by
Wendy Powell

Wendy Powell took part in the early clinical trial

Last week we reported on the success of a major bladder cancer trial, funded by Cancer Research UK.

The practice-changing trial will mean that, in future, fewer of the thousands of patients diagnosed with the disease each year will need their bladder removed, and, in some cases, their womb and ovaries or prostate and urethra too (since these are the areas where the cancer is most likely to return).

Removing the bladder is a major operation with implications for the rest of a patient’s life. As the disease is linked to smoking and around eight out of ten cases diagnosed in patients over 65, some patients are in relatively poor general health when diagnosed and so unable to cope with such radical surgery.

Until recently the only alternative has been radiotherapy. But around a third of patients given radiotherapy eventually relapse with invasive disease and so need to have their bladder removed anyway.

To try to improve things, researchers based at the University of Birmingham and The Institute for Cancer Research in Sutton, funded by Cancer Research UK, have been looking for better alternatives.

Continue reading →

New insights into the treatment of childhood leukaemia

Posted on by
Child in hospital

New study about acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

On the surface, the statistics about acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are encouraging. Thanks to decades of painstaking research and clinical advances, around eight in 10 children and young adults with the disease are cured.

But for the families of those children who are the ‘two in 10’, this impressive statistic is cold comfort.

That’s why many scientists around the world – including our own – are working hard to ensure even more children are successfully treated.

Today we spotted a huge global study that represents an important step in the fight against ALL. It points to better ways to treat the small number of children who don’t respond to their initial treatment.

We spoke to Cancer Research UK scientist Professor Josef Vormoor about the research, and asked him what he thought of its implications.

Continue reading →

Bowel cancer – 40 years of progress but early detection is key

Posted on by

Spotting cancer early can save lives. Over the last nine weeks, the Department of Health has been running a campaign called ‘Be Clear on Cancer’, aimed at raising awareness of bowel cancer symptoms.

The campaign ended over the weekend, but keeping the focus on the disease, today marks the start of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.

So we thought it would be a good idea to look at how things have changed for bowel cancer patients over the years, and how continued research has lead to a falling mortality rate.

In the graphic below, you can see how this improvement has been driven by research on bowel cancer, both by our own researchers and by scientists around the world. And you can scroll down to read about this research in more detail.

A detailed infographic about bowel cancer

Continue reading →

News digest – oesophageal cancer, HRT, Leveson and more

Posted on by

If you missed the news this week, read this article

Amid the drama of phone hacking, economic gloom, ‘responsible’ capitalism and sinking cruise ships, the week has also seen several intriguing stories in the world of cancer research.

Here’s our regular digest of the latest developments – just click on the links for the full low-down.

HRT and breast cancer

The link between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer was back in the news, as researchers published a critique of the landmark Million Women Study (which we help fund). In response, the Study’s authors mounted a robust defence of their work, pointing out that theirs was one among many other studies to find that HRT increases the risk of the disease.

Our news feed covered both sides of the story, while Judith Potts in the Telegraph wondered what to make of it all.

Drugs ’cause cancers to spread’?

Somewhat alarming headlines on Wednesday suggested that certain targeted cancer drugs might inadvertently cause cancers to spread. But we felt this was a bit of a leap, given that the stories were based on lab research not patient data.

In fact, the study focused on a type of blood-vessel cell called a ‘pericyte’, and its role in the spread of cancer. And the findings of increased rates of spread haven’t yet been observed in patients, as our expert Professor Kebs Hodivala-Dilke pointed out in a more balanced take on our news feed.

Detecting oesophageal cancer earlier

A study on detecting oesophageal cancer early, which we co-funded with the Medical Research Council, showed that a fluorescent dye could be used to spot the disease. We put out a press release to accompany it, which was picked up by several news outlets, including the Daily Mail and The Sun.

New gene linked to oesophageal cancer

Sticking with oesophageal cancer, researchers in London pinned down the gene behind tylosis, a rare skin condition linked to the disease. This discovery will lead to new insights into how oesophageal cancer develops, and – possibly – new ways to treat it. Cancer Research UK helped fund the study, and our news feed has the details.

Understanding side effects

An intriguing story appeared on Thursday. An international team of researchers, including some we fund, found out how vemurafenib – a new targeted melanoma drug - also causes some people to develop a second, less serious form of skin cancer. Their results also showed how, in principle, this could be avoided.

We think this is a great example of the difference between the new generation of cancer drugs and the previous one – researchers are already starting to identify and work around problems like side-effects and drug resistance, even before the drugs are in routine use.

New drug for ovarian cancer

On Tuesday, several papers got very excited by the news that the European Medicines Agency had licensed a drug called bevacizumab (a.k.a. Avastin) for ovarian cancer. The drug is now available in the UK via the Cancer Drugs Fund. This is a welcome step forward, as trials suggest the drug can delay the cancer from coming back in women with advanced disease.

However, as our expert Professor Iain McNeish told reporters, there are still questions over its use, particularly whether the drug – which is very expensive – actually prolongs life overall. Still though, we urgently need new treatments for the disease, and this drug looks promising.

Statins and cancer?

The Express ran a front page about how statins – used to treat heart disease – can ‘beat cancer’. This unfortunate headline was the result of a very complex bit of lab work looking at the role of a protein called p53 in a cellular pathway called the mevalonate pathway. Without getting bogged down in the detail, it didn’t show that statins can be used to treat cancer. Our spokesperson, Dr Jo Owens, had the final word in the story:

“To say that statins are a potential new cancer treatment is to oversimplify a very complicated picture. These are laboratory findings and, as the researchers themselves point out, there’s a long way to go to find out if they apply to patients”.

The Leveson Inquiry

Which leads us on to our final story of the week. In the wake of the phone hacking scandal, the government commissioned the Leveson Inquiry to look at standards in the media.

One of the less headline-grabbing aspects of the inquiry is its investigation into standards in science reporting. Our colleagues at the Wellcome Trust invited us, together with the Association of Medical Research, to help draw together some thoughts as to how the situation can be improved. You can read our joint submission here (pdf).

That’s all – see you next week,

Henry

ECMCs: A big boost for new cancer drug trials

Posted on by
Tablets and capsules

Our Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres are getting new treatments to patients faster

We’ve previously written about our Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs) – a network of ‘virtual’ hubs across the UK bringing together scientists, doctors and nurses to take new cancer drugs from the lab to clinical trials as quickly as possible.

The ECMCs were set up five years ago with funding from Cancer Research UK and the devolved Departments of Health in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’re now able to invest in these vital centres for a further five years – including the Departments of Health’s contributions, a total of £35 million has been committed from next year.

With the announcement of this new funding, it’s a good time to look back on what the ECMCs have achieved over the past five years, and how they are helping to beat cancer.
Continue reading →