A COMBINATION of two immunotherapy drugs could be used to treat the most common form of colon cancer, according to researchers.
The “incredibly exciting” studies showed tumors shrank or remained stable in three out of five patients.
Botensilimab and balstilimab could “offer new hope” for those diagnosed with a type of cancer that previously did not respond to immunotherapy, researchers at Anglia Ruskin University said.
Both drugs work by triggering the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.
Describing the treatment as “potentially game-changing”, the team said they hoped authorities in the UK would be “able to move quickly” to approve its use.
Researchers followed 101 people in the US who were diagnosed with microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS mCRC) – the most common type of bowel cancer.
READ MORE ABOUT BOWEL CANCER
After six months, tumors were shown to have shrunk or remained stable in 61 percent of patients.
The most common side effects were diarrhea and fatigue, the researchers said.
Until now, immunotherapy has only been shown to work in patients with another type of colon cancer known as tumors deficient in specific mismatch repair (dMMR), which is rarer.
Almost 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK each year, with around 85 per cent classified as microsatellite stable (MSS).
More than 16,800 die each year, Cancer Research UK statistics show.
Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “These results are incredibly exciting.
“Colon or colon cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide.
“This is the first time there has been convincing evidence that immunotherapy can work for all forms of colorectal cancer, so it is potentially a game changer.
“This is now progressing to the later stage of clinical trials and we hope that the FDA in the United States will approve its use very soon.
“And because this is such an important area that affects so many people, we hope that the authorities in the UK are also able to act quickly.”
More Colon Cancer Breakthroughs
Dr. Andrea Bullock, assistant professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the US, added: “This study sheds light on the potential of the BOT/BAL combination to treat microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer, the most common form of colorectal cancer. historically unresponsive to immunotherapy.
“We hope our results will provide new hope for those diagnosed.”
The research is published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Commenting on the study, Lisa Wilde, director of research, policy and advocacy at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “This study is still at a very early stage but shows exciting promise for expanding much-needed treatment options for those whose cancer would have occurred earlier. were resistant to immunotherapy.
“We will continue to watch with interest.”
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer in England.
Public awareness is on the rise thanks to campaigners such as Sun writer Dame Deborah James, who will die of the disease in 2022 aged just 40.
Colon cancer symptoms that could save your life
BOWEL cancer is the fourth most common form of the disease in the UK – but the second deadliest, claiming around 16,000 lives a year.
However, it can be cured if diagnosed early.
Fewer than one in ten people will survive bowel cancer if it is caught at stage 4, but detected in phase 1 – before it spreads – a more than nine out of ten patients will live five years or more.
There are two ways to ensure early diagnosis, screening and awareness symptoms.
Britons have been subjected to a postcode lottery when it comes to colon cancer screening, with tests being sent out in Scotland from 50, while people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have to wait until they are 60.
That’s why The Sun launched No Time 2 Lose campaigncalling on the government to lower the screening age and save thousands of lives a year.
In the summer of 2018, The Sun and its readers secured a huge victory with then health secretary Matt Hancock agreeing to start screening at 50, but this has yet to be widely introduced.
While screening is an important part of early diagnosis, it is equally important to know the symptoms and take action if you notice symptoms.
The five red flag signs are:
- Bleeding from the back passage or blood in your poo
- Changing your normal toileting habits – for example, going more or less often
- Abdominal pain or lump
- Extreme fatigue for no real reason
- Unexplained weight loss
If you are concerned, don’t be shy and talk to your GP – doctors see and solve intestinal problems all the time.