Cervical Cancer Treatment Hailed as Most ‘Remarkable’ Breakthrough in 20 Years, Say Scientists
A study found that new induction chemotherapy treatment accompanied by standard chemoradiation was effective in prolonging lives of patients
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Stock imageNew trial findings showed that using existing, less expensive drugs prior to standard chemoradiation treatment may reduce the risk of death of women from cervical cancer by 35%.
The findings, revealed recently at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) medical conference, are being hailed by scientists as a major breakthrough in treating this cancer in two decades, BBC News reported.
For the study, 500 patients with cervical cancer — ranging from five countries and between the ages 24 to 78 — were recruited. Half of them received the new treatment that consisted of a six-week course of carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy accompanied by the "usual" treatment of radiotherapy including chemoradiation, per BBC News. The other half, the control group, received just the standard treatment.
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Based on the study's results, after five years, 80% of the women employing the new induction chemotherapy treatment were alive and 73% had not seen their cancer return or spread, The Guardian reported. In contrast, of those who received just the standard radiotherapy treatment, 72% were alive and 64% did not see their cancer return or spread.
“Induction chemotherapy followed by CRT [chemoradiation] significantly improves PFS [progression free survival] and OS [overall survival] in LACC [locally advanced cervical cancer] and should be considered a new standard of care,” the study concluded.
“Our trial shows that this short course of additional chemotherapy delivered immediately before the standard CRT can reduce the risk of the cancer returning or death by 35%,” said Dr. Mary McCormack, the lead researcher of the trial from UCL Cancer Institute and UCLH, per The Independent.
She added, “This is the biggest improvement in outcome in this disease in over 20 years.”
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Cancer Research U.K., the Britain-based charity that financed the study, described the results as “remarkable.”
“Timing is everything when you’re treating cancer,” said Dr. Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research U.K., per The Guardian. “The simple act of adding induction chemotherapy to the start of chemoradiation treatment for cervical cancer has delivered remarkable results in this trial.”
“We’re excited for the improvements this trial could bring to cervical cancer treatment and hope short courses of induction chemotherapy will be rapidly adopted in the clinic,” Foulkes continued.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, there are approximately 11,500 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed annually in the U.S. and 4,000 die as a result. The agency said that screening tests and the HPV vaccine can aid in the prevention of the cancer, adding that the cancer is highly treatable if found early.
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