Oesophageal cancer: improving treatment

Last updated: 05/07/2011

What's this project about?

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The number of people diagnosed with oesophageal (foodpipe) cancer is on the rise in the Western world.

Each year, almost 8,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in the UK alone - that's around 150 people each week. The number of people surviving this disease for at least 10 years after diagnosis has trebled in the last 40 years, which is fantastic news - but this figure is still only around 1 in 10 people.

Dr Tom Crosby is running an innovative clinical trial to discover whether adding a drug called cetuximab to a standard treatment for oesophageal cancer could improve the outlook for people with this disease.

 
 
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What is the science behind this project?

People with oesophageal cancer that cannot be operated on and whose cancer has not spread extensively through the body are sometimes given a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, called chemoradiotherapy (CRT). CRT can be very effective, but does not always work.

Dr Tom Crosby, a consultant in cancer medicine, is running a clinical trial to test whether combining a drug called cetuximab (also called Erbitux) with CRT can make this treatment better and improve the outlook for these patients.

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This drug - known as a monoclonal antibody - is delivered via the bloodstream to cancer cells, wherever they are in the body. Cetuximab works in three ways. Firstly, it specifically targets and blocks the function of proteins on the surface of some cancer cells which are important for cancer growth and spread. It also helps the body's immune system to recognise cancer cells so that it can attack them more effectively. And, finally, it may even make the cancer cells more sensitive to the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Clinical trials like this are crucial for evaluating drugs, as they help bring the most effective ones into the clinic as soon as possible. Cetuximab is already used in combination with chemotherapy to treat bowel cancer, and with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Dr Crosby hopes that this trial will show that cetuximab can also be effectively used alongside CRT to treat oesophageal cancer.

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The difference you can make

This exciting trial could lead to a new 'gold-standard' treatment for many people with oesophageal cancer. By supporting this project, you can be part of this groundbreaking work, which could significantly improve the outlook for people with this disease.

Please help us raise £20,000 to cover the running expenses of the trial – just one aspect of the costs involved in Dr Crosby's vital work.

Larry's story

Larry ReesLarry Rees, was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2006 a few weeks after his 50th birthday.

"I was sensing that as I swallowed things were getting stuck in my food tube, and that went on for a couple of weeks," he said. Larry went to the doctor who referred him for an endoscopy after which he was given the diagnosis.

He underwent a series of tests to determine which treatment course was the best for him based on the size of the tumour. After chemotherapy to try to reduce the tumour, he had surgery to remove part of his oesophagus and stomach.

Larry admits that there are some lifestyle changes after his treatment.

"Eating and drinking is very different – I can't sit down and have a three course meal. Instead, I have maybe one course, and eat it very slowly. So I have to graze all day to make up my calories."

Four years later, Larry is doing well, with no signs of recurrence.

"Oesophageal cancer still has a very low long term survival rate, so this type of research is vital if we are to change the outcome," he said.