Chemotherapy before colon cancer surgery can reduce the risk of recurrence by more than a quarter, research shows.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, shows that chemotherapy before surgery for early stage colorectal cancer reduces the risk of the disease by 28 per cent.
Experts said the “remarkable” results could change the way people are treated in the early stages of the disease and potentially improve the prognosis for around 5,000 UK patients a year.
Chemotherapy is usually given after surgery to try to catch stray cancer cells that could cause the disease to come back.
Chemotherapy before colon cancer surgery can cut chance of recurrence by more than a quarter, study shows (file photo)
Under the new regimen, patients will receive six weeks of chemotherapy before undergoing surgery, followed by an additional 18 weeks of chemotherapy.
Led by the Universities of Birmingham and Leeds, the FOxTROT study involved 1,053 patients in 85 hospitals in the UK, Denmark and Sweden.
During the study, the first group of patients received six weeks of chemotherapy, followed by surgery and then 18 weeks of chemotherapy.
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The second group underwent standard colorectal cancer treatment, which included surgery, followed by 24 weeks of chemotherapy.
The results showed that patients who received chemotherapy before surgery were significantly less likely to have their cancer return within two years.
Professor Matthew Seymour, from the University of Leeds, said “timing is everything” when it comes to treating the disease, also known as bowel cancer.
He said: “The simple act of promoting chemotherapy before, rather than after, surgery is producing remarkable results.
“By giving chemotherapy before surgery, the cancer can be prevented from coming back without the need for expensive new drugs or technology.
“Particularly encouraging was that patients who received chemotherapy before their surgery had fewer surgical complications.”
Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 11 per cent of all new cancer cases with around 42,900 diagnoses each year.
Scientists believe this approach could be used across the NHS and in countries around the world and would benefit hundreds of thousands of patients each year.
Dr Laura Magill, associate professor in Birmingham’s clinical trials unit, said up to one in three patients with colorectal cancer will get it again after surgery, which is “too high”.
“The standard approach was to give chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that had spread before surgery.
“But our research shows that giving some of this chemotherapy before surgery increases the likelihood that all the cancer cells will be killed.
Under the new regimen, colon cancer patients will receive six weeks of chemotherapy before undergoing surgery, followed by an additional 18 weeks of chemotherapy (file photo)
“A growing body of evidence shows the value of preoperative chemotherapy in several other types of cancer, and we believe our findings may change the way we treat colorectal cancer in the clinic.”
Further clinical studies are to investigate whether older patients also benefit from chemotherapy before surgery, according to the results published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
It comes after the Daily Mail teamed up with Cancer Research UK, who launched the Fighting to Beat Children’s Cancer campaign, asking generous readers to dig deep and help turn the tide against cancer.
Genevieve Edwards from Bowel Cancer UK said: “It is great to see such positive results from this robust study which we have been following with great interest.
“This is fantastic news that it has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of thousands of people diagnosed with early-stage colorectal cancer each year.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
