Aspirin after bowel cancer diagnosis reduces chance of dying by 30 per cent

Wednesday 25 April 2012

British Journal of Cancer Press Release

Taking aspirin after being diagnosed with bowel cancer can reduce the chance of dying from the disease by 30 per cent, new research shows today.

The study*, published in the British Journal of Cancer, found that bowel cancer patients who took a daily dose of aspirin for at least nine months after their diagnosis had cut their chance of dying from the disease by 30 per cent.**

Researchers added that bowel cancer patients who took aspirin for any length of time post-diagnosis had a 23 per cent less chance of dying from bowel cancer compared with patients who took no aspirin at all.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK – with around 41,000 new cases of the disease a year. But bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer – around 16,000 people died of the disease in 2010 in the UK.

The study looked at 4,500 bowel cancer patients from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry in the Netherlands diagnosed between 1998 and 2007. A quarter of patients were not aspirin users, a further quarter only took aspirin after being diagnosed with bowel cancer and the remaining group took aspirin both before and after diagnosis.***

Dr Gerrit-Jan Liefers, study author based at the Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands, said: “Our findings could have profound clinical implications. In this study, we showed the therapeutic effect of a widely-available, familiar drug that costs mere pennies per day.

“It’s possible that some older people may have other health problems which mean that they are not well enough to have chemotherapy. Bowel cancer is more common in older people so these results could be a big advance in treatment of the disease, particularly in this group. But we need further research to confirm this.”

The research team are planning to start a randomised controlled trial across the Netherlands later this year, specifically targeting the over-70s population.

The study also found that taking aspirin only after bowel cancer had been detected had a bigger impact on reducing mortality compared with when aspirin was taken before and after diagnosis.****

Researchers said it may be that those who took aspirin and still got bowel cancer could have had a particularly aggressive form of tumour that did not respond as well to aspirin.

This research just looked at bowel cancer patients – focusing on the impact of aspirin in treatment of cancer rather than the drug’s preventative benefits. Previous studies have shown that taking a daily dose of aspirin for several years can help to lower the risk of a number of cancers including bowel and oesophageal cancers.

Cancer Research UK is already investigating the anti-cancer properties of aspirin. These findings show that this is a promising area of research.

Sarah Lyness, executive director policy and information at Cancer Research UK, said: “This latest study adds to the growing evidence about the benefits of aspirin. The latest evidence suggests that the drug not only reduces the risk of dying from cancer, but can also help prevent the disease from developing in the first place.

“But we are not yet at the point where we would recommend people start taking aspirin to reduce their chances of developing cancer.

“There are still questions we need to answer about the side effects, such as internal bleeding, who might benefit most from taking aspirin, who might be harmed, what dose and  how long people some people might want to take it for.

“Anyone thinking of taking aspirin to cut their risk of cancer should talk to their GP first. People with cancer should be aware that aspirin can increase the chances of complications before surgery or other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and should discuss this with their specialist.  

“In the meantime, there are many ways we can take to lower our risk of developing cancer – not smoking, cutting back on alcohol and keeping a healthy weight can help stack the odds in our favour.”

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For media enquiries please contact the press office on 020 3469 8300 or, out-of-hours, the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.

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*Bastiaannet, E et al., Use of aspirin postdiagnosis improves survival for colon cancer patients British Journal of Cancer (2012)

**Compared with bowel cancer patients who did not take aspirin at all or took it infrequently post-diagnosis. Infrequent use was defined as taking the drug for less than nine months.

***Out of the 4,481 bowel cancer patients analysed – 1176 (26 per cent) did not take aspirin/NSAIDs at all, 2086 (47 per cent) took aspirin/NSAIDs both pre- and post-diagnosis and 1219 (27 per cent) took aspirin/NSAIDs just post-diagnosis.

****Bowel cancer patients who took aspirin pre and post-diagnosis were 12 per cent less likely to die of the disease compared with patients who did not take aspirin at all, or who took aspirin only before or only after their diagnosis.

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Article source: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/pressrelease/2012-04-25-aspirin-post-bowel-cancer-diagnosis-reduces-chance-dying-30-per-cent?rss=true

Commenting on research published in the British Journal of Cancer showing aspirin can reduce the chances of dying from bowel cancer by almost a third, Jacqui Graves, Head of Healthcare at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

‘This study adds to the growing evidence showing the potential benefits of aspirin in treating and possibly preventing cancer, especially digestive cancers like bowel cancer.

‘Although these findings are promising, more research is needed on the side-effects, who will benefit most from taking it and whether the risks outweigh the benefits of taking aspirin over time.

‘People considering taking aspirin to reduce their risk of getting cancer should always seek advice from their GP first. It’s also important people eat a well balanced diet, increase their levels of physical activity to the recommended minimum of 2.5 hours per week, and limit how much alcohol they drink, as these factors also cut the risk of getting bowel cancer.’

For further information, please contact:

Rebecca Openshaw, Media and PR Officer, Macmillan Cancer Support

020 7840 4699 (out of hours 07801 307068)

ropenshaw@macmillan.org.u|

Article source: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Aboutus/News/Latest_News/Macmillancommentsonstudyshowingaspirincanreducethechancesofdyingfrombowelcancer.aspx

Series of measures ‘could cut bowel cancer deaths by nearly two-thirds’

Monday 23 April 2012

The number of UK bowel cancer deaths could be cut by nearly two-thirds within the next 15 years if certain recommendations are followed, according to the charity Bowel Cancer UK.

The charity say a 60 per cent cut in deaths could be reached by 2025 if the Government makes the right improvements to bowel cancer care.

They also say efforts are needed to increase the number of people screened for the disease. At the moment just over 50 per cent of the over 60s send back their screening kits – but encouraging everyone to take part in screening would many more cancers could be spotted early, saving many more lives.

Bowel Cancer UK also say that hospitals, community and social care providers must work together more effectively in all parts of the UK. In particular, it called for better communication with patients. One in three receive no written information about bowel cancer at the moment.

Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “We have a duty to save more lives and the proposals outlined in this report should be the Government’s absolute minimum goal.

“We look forward to working with the Government, NHS and other charities to help save more lives from the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.”

The organisation’s report, 2025 Challenge: Saving and Improving Lives, also says doctors and nurses must offer better care to patients.

One in five people told the charity they thought medical staff do not treat them with “dignity and respect”, while one in four said they felt information from doctors about their disease was hard to understand.

And one in five patients said they have been given conflicting explanations about their disease.

Survival rates for bowel cancer have doubled over the last 40 years. But around 18 in every 100,000 people still die from the disease, making it the UK’s second biggest cancer killer behind lung cancer.

Jessica Harris, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, agreed that working together is important to reduce the number of deaths from bowel cancer.

“Governments, charities, health organisations and individuals all have a role to play in encouraging people to make healthy choices to reduce the risk of developing the disease; helping people know what signs and symptoms to look out for; improving the uptake of bowel screening; and working to make sure bowel cancer is diagnosed promptly,” she said.

She added that April is bowel cancer awareness month, the “perfect time” to make people aware that if they notice anything out of the ordinary in their body – like blood in their stools, or looser stools for three or more weeks – that they should go and see their GP.

She also encouraged people who receive an invitation to take part in bowel screening to complete and return the kit.

“When bowel cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is easier and many more people survive,” she added.

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• 2025 Challenge: Saving and Improving Lives – Bowel Cancer UK (pdf, 1Mb)

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Article source: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/cancernews/2012-04-20-Series-of-measures-could-cut-bowel-cancer-deaths-by-nearly-two-thirds?rss=true

According to uk-med new research has uncovered a potential new treatment for prostate cancer treatment.

While it looks promising more research needs to be carried out first.

From the article….

A new study funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), involving 41 patients, is being heralded as a success for prostate cancer sufferers

The new procedure administered for early diagnosed cancer patients is reported to have less side-effects than the present treatment. Using ultrasound is producing a favourable outcome of having less incontinence and impotence problems.

Erectile dysfunction is quite a common issue post treatment for prostate cancer and can be helped with Viagra or Cialis medication. Around 37,000 men a year present with prostate cancer in the UK, which goes on to be fatal for up to 10,000 of them.

Presently the usual treatment of the whole of the prostate gland via surgery or radiotherapy, can damage the immediate healthy tissues adjacent to the affected area, making more problems evolve. University College Hospital doctors in London have started using a ‘high-intensity focused ultrasound’ device (HIFU) in their research. It involves placing a probe close to the prostate, which emits sound waves, that target the cancerous cells and heats them to 80C. This procedure has been found to cause a nominal amount of damage in order to protect delicate nerves and muscles.

Read More: http://www.uk-med.co.uk/Health/New-Technique-to-Transform-Early-Prostate-Cancer-Treatment

Macmillan Cancer Support responds to research by the National Cancer Intelligence Network into the number of bowel cancer patients dying within a month of diagnosis.

Mike Hobday, Director of Policy and Research at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

“This new research shows that the proportion of people dying within a month of being diagnosed with bowel cancer is shockingly high.  Sadly many of these patients couldn’t benefit from potentially life-saving treatment because their cancer was so advanced.

“We all know that early diagnosis saves lives.  If you diagnose bowel cancer early, nine times out of ten you will live at least five years.  Diagnose it late, and it is only one in ten who live that long.

“We want people to be aware of the early warning signs of bowel cancer and go and see their GP as soon as they have any concerns.  More people than ever are surviving after a diagnosis and, with prompt access to treatment, cancer no longer has to be a death sentence.”

For further information, please contact:

Claire Keuls, Media PR Officer
020 7840 4872 (out of hours 07801 307 068)
ckeuls@macmillan.org.uk|

Notes to Editors:

About Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support.  Working alongside people affected by cancer, Macmillan works to improve cancer care.  More than one in three of us get cancer. Two million of us are living with it.  If you are affected by cancer Macmillan can help.

Article source: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Aboutus/News/Latest_News/MacmillanrespondstoNCINresearchintobowelcancerpatients.aspx

Nearly 10 per cent of bowel cancer patients die within a month of diagnosis

Monday 26 March 2012

National Cancer Intelligence Network Press Release

Almost 10 per cent of bowel cancer patients die within a month of being diagnosed according to new analysis by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), published today.

And, of those dying within a month, over half (56 per cent) were over 80 years old and 60 per cent were diagnosed following an emergency admission to hospital.

Researchers from the University of Leeds and the Hull York Medical School collaborated with the Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service (NYCRIS), and looked at the data of all bowel cancer patients diagnosed in England between 2006 and 2008.

During these three years, 91,980 people were diagnosed with bowel cancer and around 9,000 died within one month.

Eva Morris, a study author from the University of Leeds, said:  “Compared to elsewhere in Europe our survival rates are poor and, as this study shows, one of the key reasons is because a large number of patients present with rapidly fatal disease. And, crucially, the report highlights that these people tend to first be seen as an emergency patient in hospital and have advanced disease and can’t be offered treatment that could potentially cure them.

“But, there is a problem of older patients being more likely to die quickly after a bowel cancer diagnosis.”

Mick Peake, chief clinician at the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), said: “This new analysis shows just how important it is to spot the early signs of cancer.  It suggests that the public, especially the elderly, may not be aware of the diseases’ warning signs or they don’t want to bother their doctor with possible symptoms and so are being diagnosed at a late stage in the course of their illness. Increasing awareness of the symptoms of the disease and diagnosing patients at an early stage is vital if we are to improve survival from the disease.”

Chris Carrigan, head of the NCIN, said: “We need to ensure that the public are aware of the early signs of bowel cancer like having blood in your poo or loose poo for more than three weeks. We must also try and break down any barriers preventing people going to their GP when they have these symptoms.

“And bowel screening is routinely offered to men and women aged 60-69 every two years and evidence is showing that it is very effective at diagnosing cancers at an early stage.  That is why routine invitations are being extended to men and women aged up to 75. Those above the age limit can self refer every two years. “

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For media enquiries please contact the NCIN press office on 020 7061 8300 or, out-of-hours, the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.

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Individuals may have died from cancer or from other diseases but this could not be determined in this analysis.

Bowel screening was rolled out in England in 2006 for men and women aged 60 to 69. Screening is now offered to men and women from ages 60 to 74 in England. A kit is sent out to people every two years.

In Scotland men and women aged between 50 and 74 years are sent a FOBt kit every 2 years.

In Wales the NHS is sending out stool testing kits to people between the ages of 60 and 69 every two years. They hope to roll the service out to people aged between 50 and 74 by 2015.

The UK government has committed to adding the Flexi-Scope test bowel screening test from next year in England. The new test uses a camera and light at the end of a flexible tube to detect and remove pre-cancerous growths from the lower parts of the bowel.

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Article source: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/pressrelease/2012-03-26-nearly-10-per-cent-of-bowel-cancer-patients-die-within-one-month?rss=true

The first regional bowel cancer awareness campaign ran in the East of England and South West in January 2011. The campaign was intended to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer – loose poo and blood in poo for more than three weeks, and encourage people with these symptoms to see their GP early.

The positive pilot results were used to design the Government’s first ever national cancer campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer. The evaluation report presents the results of the pilot campaign.

Public awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer is low. Spotting the signs early and getting medical advice could save people’s lives. The adverts feature real GPs in the ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ bowel cancer campaign. It encourages people who have had symptoms for more than three weeks to see their doctor. The aim is to make people aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer and make it easier for them to discuss this with their GP.

Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer (January 2011), outlined the direction for improved cancer care and the aim to save an additional 5,000 lives a year by 2014/15 through improving survival rates for cancer in England and to match the European average.

Late diagnosis is considered to be a major reason for England’s poorer survival rates. To tackle this, the Department of Health, working with key stakeholders, established the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI).

The aim of NAEDI is to achieve earlier diagnosis through a range of actions including raising public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer, support GPs to assess patients more effectively and improve GP access to diagnostic tests.

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Article source: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/03/evaluation-bowel-cancer-pilot/

A research study commented on in the British Medical Journal stating that there is a higher case of erectile dysfunction in post op male bowel cancer patients and that most of them do not receive advice or counselling.

In the UK every year almost 38,000 people are established as having bowel cancer, it is about a 50% survival rate for patients to live longer than five years after treatment. Good news gained from the research suggests that it will rise higher in the future. Professor Sue Wilson, the main author of the paper from Birmingham University, said that more men than women get bowel cancer and that a lot of them will suffer from ED after treatment.

The survey interviewed 28 patients in the West Midlands, whom had received treatment for bowel cancer. Most of them were experiencing ED problems after recovering from bowel cancer. They were not counselled and prepared for erectile dysfunction being a side effect post condition. It was also found by the study that nearly all of the sufferers did not get enough effective or affordable help to manage the new affliction.

Quite a few of the study cases had asked their healthcare professional about it affecting their wellbeing, but found that it shouldn’t matter to patients of a certain age, so confirming that treatment from medical staff depends on age.

There are several medical treatments for erectile dysfunction, one is Viagra. That with medical advice has been used successfully for over a decade.

When compared to prostate cancer sufferers whom receive counselling for erectile dysfunction as part of their on-going treatment. The researchers advised that; “The wide diversity of this patient group calls for greater coordination of care and consistent strategies to tackle unmet needs.”

A colorectal surgeon from the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York added an editorial to the report, saying that if the research had included casework of men who whose ED had been elevated by treatment, it would be of use to future case management. Larissa Temple also added: “this is probably an important component of sexual rehabilitation for men with colorectal cancer.”
 Another aspect of helping patients continued recovery, would be to include their partner to help with analysis on rehabilitation.

Article Source:
http://www.uk-med.co.uk/Health/Post-Bowel-Cancer-More-Likely-to-Suffer-Erectile-Dysfunction

Researchers close in on new way to treat aggressive bowel cancers

Friday 17 February 2012

Targeting a “previously unappreciated” protein could lead to a treatment for aggressive bowel cancers, US researchers have found.

The finding, published in the journal Cell, could apply to up to a quarter of people who develop the disease.

But UK experts warned that, while the research was exciting, drugs targeting TAK1 – previously linked to inflammation – could be some years away.

Two genes – APC and KRAS – drive most bowel cancers. Around eight out of ten bowel cancers carries a faulty APC gene, whereas about half have a faulty KRAS gene.

Cancers in which both of these genes are defective are generally hardest to treat, and new-generation targeted treatments like cetuximab tend not to work in these patients.

Bowel cancers with faulty KRAS genes can be further subdivided into ‘KRAS-dependent’ cancers – in which blocking KRAS kills the cancer cells – and ‘KRAS-independent’ cancers.

But drugs that target KRAS directly have proven elusive.

Scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center investigated how to kill bowel cancer cells in that had a defective APC gene and were also dependent on KRAS.

In lab experiments, they showed that TAK1 protein was a key player behind the growth of KRAS-dependent cancer cells.

Blocking the protein’s activity killed these cells by triggering cell ‘suicide’ called apoptosis.

They also revealed the molecular signals behind this process, and showed that blocking TAK1 in mice that had cancers caused by fault APC and KRAS, shrunk these cancers.

Dr Daniel Haber, co-author of the study, said: “This study shows that if you understand the interrelationships between all the signaling pathways in a particular type of tumour, you may uncover a vulnerability”.

He added that the TAK1 inhibitor they used in this study was not suitable for patients, but pharmaceutical companies have developed chemicals that block TAK1 inhibitors.

These have not yet been developed because their potential application was not clear, he said.

Work will now take place that could lead to clinical trials of TAK1 inhibitors are being planned.

Professor Owen Sansom, a cell signaling expert from Cancer Research UK’s Beatson Institute, said the finding was exciting and could potentially lead to new treatments for aggressive bowel cancer.

“The TAK1 protein has previously been linked to inflammation, but this is the first time it has been shown to play a key role in cancer,” he added.

“People whose bowel cancer is driven by a mutant KRAS gene tend to have the least favourable outlook, and new-generation targeted therapies like cetuximab aren’t generally effective. 

“These results suggest that, in theory, drugs that block TAK1 could be helpful for at least a proportion of these patients.”

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• Singh, A., Sweeney, M., Yu, M., Burger, A., Greninger, P., Benes, C., Haber, D., Settleman, J. (2012). TAK1 Inhibition Promotes Apoptosis in KRAS-Dependent Colon Cancers Cell, 148 (4), 639-650 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.12.033

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Article source: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/cancernews/2012-02-17-Researchers-close-in-on-new-way-to-treat-aggressive-bowel-cancers?rss=true

Research backs benefits of new bowel cancer test

Tuesday 31 January 2012

A test being introduced by the Government is effective at detecting bowel cancer, a US study has confirmed.

Repeated screening using flexible sigmoidoscopy – or ‘Flexi-scope’ – increased the number of cancers detected according to data from a prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial, analysed by Professor Joel Weissfeld and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh.

The NHS is introducing a one-off Flexi-scope test to its bowel screening programme for all men and women when they reach 55. The test uses a camera and light at the end of a flexible tube to detect pre-cancerous growths in the lower parts of the bowel.

This will be in addition to the current Faecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT), looks for hidden traces of blood in stools – a possible symptom of bowel cancer.

Almost 40,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year, and more than 15,900 die from the disease. It is hoped that adding Flexi-scope to the current programme will cut this number and save more lives.

The research, reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that a second Flexi-scope test increased how many cancers and benign tumours were detected by 26 per cent in women and by 34 per cent in men, compared with a single test.

The US researchers analysed results from people aged between 55 and 74 who had a Flexi-scope test when they joined the study and then a follow-up screening at three years and five years. Of the 77,447 people who took part, 67,073 had at least one Flexi-scope test and 39,442 had two Flexi-scope tests.

Commenting on the findings, the researchers said that although repeated tests increases the number of cancers detected, it also increases the costs of screening, the need for follow-up tests, and the risks of complications.

Sarah Williams, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: “Scientists already know that one-off screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy can reduce the number of bowel cancers, detect cancer at an early stage and save lives. Following the results of a 16 year long trial, co-funded by Cancer Research UK, the UK government announced in 2010 that one-off flexible sigmoidoscopy would be incorporated into the national bowel screening programmes. Decisions are still being made about how best to do this.

“These interim trial results from the US are interesting and show that a second round of screening improved the detection of bowel cancer. But we don’t yet know whether extra screening rounds can further reduce the number of bowel cancer cases or the number of people dying from the disease. The overall balance between the risks and benefits of additional rounds of screening will also need to be considered,” she added.

“We look forward to seeing the next results from this trial, which should start to answer these important questions.”

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Article source: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/cancernews/2012-01-31-Research-backs-benefits-of-new-bowel-cancer-test?rss=true