An international study led by the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona (Spain) has shown the benefits of a combination of drugs in improving the survival of patients with metastatic colon cancer who have not responded to treatment conventional.
Colorectal cancer is the most frequent tumor, because it affects men and women equally, and it is estimated that 60% of those who suffer from this disease can develop a metastasis.
There are treatments for the primary tumor and subsequent metastasis, but in this second situation around 40% of patients are refractory to therapy.
It is on this third line of treatment that the SUNLIGHT study focuses, an international phase III clinical trial coordinated by the director of VHIO, Josep Tabernero, in which 492 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who had previously received two standard chemotherapy regimens.
This trial, whose results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has tested the combination of two drugs that are already used separately in cancer: Trifluridine/tipiracil and bevacizumab.
The researchers separated the participants into two groups: half of the patients were given trifluridine/tipiracil plus bevacizumab and the other half were given the first drug alone.
Patients treated with the combination presented a median overall survival of 10.8 months, compared to 7.5 months for those who received only Trifluridine/tipiracil, that is, survival was increased by 3 months, without suffering greater toxicity.
Ninety days may seem like a short time, but it’s a substantial improvement for patients who are running out of options.
“In this refractory situation of the disease, any advance that does not affect toxicity is important.”, Tabernero highlighted in statements to Efe.
The director of the VHIO has highlighted that, thanks to the results of the study, the European and American clinical guidelines have already incorporated this option for patients with refractory colorectal cancer.
The next step is for the regulatory agencies to give the go-ahead to this combination, something that Tabernero hopes will not take long to resolve because the drugs themselves are already approved and used for the treatment of cancer.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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