City docs lead fight on cancer; Fresh hope against disease.Byline: By HELEN HUNT Health Reporter LIVERPOOL doctors have made a breakthrough in the treatment of one of the most deadly forms of cancer. Pancreatic cancer pancreatic cancer Malignant tumour of the pancreas. Risk factors include smoking, a diet high in fat, exposure to certain industrial products, and diseases such as diabetes and chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic cancer is more common in men. kills 7,000 people in the UK every year and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. In most cases chemotherapy chemotherapy (kē'mōthĕr`əpē), treatment of disease with chemicals or drugs. One chemotherapeutic approach is the development of selectively toxic substances, i.e. is the only treatment option and most patients die within a year of diagnosis. But now victims of the disease have been given fresh hope. Early trial results have shown that adding a new chemotherapy drug to standard treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer dramatically improves a patient's chance of survival. On average, nationally, only 13% of patients survive one year after diagnosis. But preliminary results of the trial show patients receiving a new combination of drugs have a one-year survival rate of 26%. This compares with 19% for those on the trial receiving standard treatment alone. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, was presented at an international cancer conference, where researchers outlined the importance of improving the treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer. The trial, called Gemcap, recruited more than 500 UK patients. One group had the standard treatment of a chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine gemcitabine /gem·cit·a·bine/ (jem-sit´ah-ben) an antineoplastic agent used as the hydrochloride salt in the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and non. . The second group had a combination of gemcitabine and capecitabine. Current chemotherapy is given intravenously in·tra·ve·nous adj. Abbr. IV Within or administered into a vein. n. A drug, nutrient solution, or other substance administered into a vein. , meaning the patient must attend hospital and be monitored while receiving the treatment. The new drug can be taken in tablet form, allowing patients to take it at home. Professor John Neoptolemos, director of the Cancer Research UK Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit, based at the University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool is a university in the city of Liverpool, England. History The University was established in 1881 as University College Liverpool, admitting its first students in 1882. Cancer Research Centre, said: "The addition of capecitabine to standard treatment has offered us the first real improvement in survival. "These results offer an opportunity for extending life and have consequences for all those diagnosed with the disease in the future." The main risk factor for pancreatic cancer is smoking and it is very strongly related to age, with over 85% of cases occurring in people over 60 CAPTION(S): PROF NEOPTOLEMOS: "Opportunity |
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