A COMBINATION of two immunotherapy drugs could be used to treat the most common form of bowel cancer, scientists say.
“Incredibly exciting” trials showed tumours had shrunk or remained stable in three out of five patients.
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Botensilimab and balstilimab could “offer new hope” for those diagnosed with a type of cancer that has previously not responded to immunotherapy, researchers from Anglia Ruskin University said.
Both drugs work by triggering the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells.
Describing the treatment as “potentially game changing”, the team said it hopes authorities in the UK will be “able to move quickly” in approving its use.
The researchers followed 101 people in the US who were diagnosed with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS mCRC) – the most common type of bowel cancer.
READ MORE ON BOWEL CANCER
After six months, tumours were shown to shrink or remain stable in 61 per cent of the patients.
The most common side effects were diarrhoea and fatigue, the researchers said.
Until now, immunotherapy has only been shown to work on patients with another type of bowel cancer known as specific mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) tumours, which is rarer.
Close to 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK, with around 85 per cent classed as microsatellite stable (MSS).
More than 16,800 lose their lives annually, Cancer Research UK statistics show.
Justin Stebbing, professor of biomedical sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “These results are incredibly exciting.
“Colorectal or bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide.
“This is the first time there has been convincing evidence that immunotherapy can work in all forms of colorectal tumours, so this is potentially game changing.
“This is now progressing into later phase clinical trials and we hope the FDA in the United States approves its use very soon.
“And because this is such an important area, affecting so many people, we hope authorities in the UK are also able to move quickly.”
Other bowel cancer breakthroughs
Dr Andrea Bullock, assistant professor in medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in the US, added: “This study sheds light on the potential of the BOT/BAL combination to treat microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer, the most common form of colorectal cancer which has historically not responded to immunotherapy.
“We hope our results will offer new hope for those diagnosed.”
The research is published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Commenting on the study, Lisa Wilde, director of research, policy, and influencing at Bowel Cancer UK said: “This trial is still at a very early stage but does show exciting promise to extend much-needed treatment options for those whose cancer would previously have been resistant to immunotherapy.
“We will continue to follow with interest.”
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common form of the disease in England.
Public awareness is on the up thanks to campaigners like Sun writer Dame Deborah James, who died from the disease in 2022 at just 40 years old.
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Bowel Cancer Signs That Could Save Your Life
BOWEL cancer is the fourth most common form of the disease in the UK – but the second deadliest, claiming around 16,000 lives a year.
Yet it can be cured if it’s diagnosed early.
Fewer than one in ten people survive bowel cancer if it’s picked up at stage 4, but detected at stage 1 – before it’s spread – and more than nine in ten patients will live five years or longer.
There are two ways to ensure early diagnosis, screening and awareness of the symptoms.
Brits have been subjected to a postcode lottery when it comes to bowel cancer screening, with tests sent out in Scotland from 50, while people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have to wait until they are 60.
That’s why The Sun launched the No Time 2 Lose campaign, calling on the Government to lower the screening age, to save thousands of lives a year.
In summer 2018 The Sun and its readers secured a huge win with the Health Minister at the time, Matt Hancock, agreeing to start screening at 50, however, this is yet to be widely rolled out.
While screening is an important part of early diagnosis, so is knowing the symptoms and acting if you spot the signs.
The five red-flag symptoms are:
- Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo
- A change in your normal toilet habits – going more or less often for example
- Pain or lump in your tummy
- Extreme tiredness for no real reason
- Unexplained weight loss
If you’re worried, don’t be embarrassed and speak to your GP – doctors see and deal with bowel problems all the time.