Bowel cancer trial begins

Bowel cancer will be treated by chemotherapy

A major trial has been launched to test a new way to treat bowel cancer.

The scientists involved hope it will eventually help to boost survival rates for a disease which is currently Britain's second biggest cancer killer.

The international trial will test the effectiveness of giving chemotherapy to patients whose cancer has spread to the liver.

If it is found that this procedure does improve survival the use of chemotherapy before and after surgery will become standard treatment

Professor John Primrose, Southampton University

They will be given the cancer drugs for 12 weeks both before and after surgery.

Professor John Primrose, of Southampton University, will head the trial.

He said: "It is hoped the combination of drugs and surgery will ensure all traces of the cancer are removed thus making the disease less likely to recur.

"If it is found that this procedure does improve survival the use of chemotherapy before and after surgery will become standard treatment."

Traditionally patients have usually undergone only surgery to remove the cancer-infected parts of the liver.

But despite the procedure surgeons now believe that microscopic traces of the disease are still left behind resulting in the cancer returning in two-thirds of cases.

Half of around 400 patients from across Europe will come from Britain at 16 of the nation's hospitals.

A hundred will be given both chemotherapy and surgery and the other 100, selected randomly by computer, will be offered only surgery.

Patient survived

The combination of chemotherapy and surgery was carried out on colon cancer patient Martin White in 1994.

The father-of-two was 36 at the time and given only six months to live.

Professor Primrose, who removed one and a half kilograms of cancer during the surgery, said many surgeons at the time would have considered him inoperable.

If it is found that this procedure does improve survival the use of chemotherapy before and after surgery will become standard treatment

Professor Gordon McVie, Cancer Research Campaign

Mr White was given chemotherapy following the operation and has now been clear of cancer for the last six years.

He has also been told that the chances of the disease returning are now 1000-1 against.

Mr White, from Shirley, Southampton, said: "After the liver operation for some reason I asked for a mirror and was amazed at the immediate change in my complexion.

"It looked like I had been sunbathing. It was quite an extraordinary moment. I felt really humbled and incredibly honoured to be given this very special attention."

Despite losing most of his liver it began growing again and within four months it had returned to its original size.

He then began his course of chemotherapy which was administered every Friday for a year as a precautionary measure against any possible remaining cancer cells.

Professor Gordon McVie, director-general of the Cancer Research Campaign, said: "If it is found that this procedure does improve survival the use of chemotherapy before and after surgery will become standard treatment.

"If it doesn't then patients will be spared unnecessary chemotherapy with its sometime unpleasant side-effects."