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What’s this project about?
Sadly, around 16,000 people die from bowel cancer each year in the UK. It is the second most common cause of cancer death. Professor Matt Seymour is leading a large clinical trial, called PICCOLO, aiming to improve the treatment for people with bowel cancer. The results will help inform doctors about the most effective way to treat people whose cancer has become resistant to chemotherapy. You can read more about the PICCOLO trial here.
What is the science behind this project?
When someone is first diagnosed with bowel cancer, they are usually treated with surgery, often together with chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy. This initial treatment is often successful, but sadly in some people the disease returns in a resistant form that can’t be cured. These patients often have other chemotherapy drugs to help control their cancer. One of the drugs used at this stage is called irinotecan. But unfortunately it doesn’t work for everyone and can cause unpleasant side effects such as severe diarrhoea.
The trial, called PICCOLO, is investigating whether combining irinotecan with other drugs can improve its effectiveness and reduce its side effects.
One of the new combination treatments is with a drug called panitumumab. This is a new ‘smart drug’ so called because it is designed to specifically recognise and kill cancer cells. Patients entering the PICCOLO trial are tested for faults in a particular gene, which will help doctors know if panitumumab could work for their cancer. The team hope that using both drugs together, rather than irinotecan alone, will be more effective for these patients.
The second combination treatment will use a drug called ciclosporin. This is not a cancer-fighting drug itself, instead it changes the way the body excretes irinotecan. So doctors hope that giving both drugs at the same time will be just as effective as irinotecan alone, but will dramatically reduce side effects.
The researchers are inviting around 1,300 people with bowel cancer to take part in the trial, at over 50 hospitals all over the UK.
Looking to the future
At the end of the trial, the researchers will find out which treatment combination is best at prolonging life, relieving symptoms and reducing side-effects for patients.
But the team also want to make cancer treatment better tailored to individuals. So, in another branch of the study, our researchers will study samples donated by patients to help understand how the drug combinations work in different people. This should allow doctors in the future to predict which treatment will be most effective for individual patients.
For more information about bowel cancer you can visit our CancerHelp UK website bowel cancer pages. You can find out more about this trial on our CancerHelp UK clinical trials database.
The difference you can make
The results of this research will help shape the future treatment of people with advanced bowel cancer, improving their outlook and quality of life.
Please help us raise £78,000 to help fund the researchers' salaries for the PICCOLO trial this year.
Meet George and Margaret
George & Margaret were childhood sweethearts and have now been together for 52 years.
Sadly, George was diagnosed with Bowel cancer and is now being treated on the PICCOLO trial at St. James' Institute of Oncology.
George was invited to take part in the PICCOLO trial after being told that his first chemotherapy wasn't successful.
You can find out more about George & Margaret and the PICCOLO trial in the video above.
Donate now and you can help improve the outlook for people with bowel cancer.
