Double treatment for advanced ovarian tumors can offer hope to those who are not responding to standard treatments.
Research showed that combining two drugs that target specific cancer cells dramatically boosts their ability to block tumour growth – keeping the disease at bay for at least two years.
One type of medication called an MEK inhibition was used to stop a tumor from growing, but it becomes ineffective with time.
Defactinib is a drug that blocks the release of the protein in cancer cells, fueling a tumor’s resistance to drugs.
Experts believe that the twin treatment of advanced ovarian carcinoma could be the standard for care.
Double attack against advanced ovarian tumors can offer new hope for patients who have not responded to conventional treatment. Research showed that combining two drugs that target specific cancer cells dramatically boosts their ability to block tumour growth – keeping the disease at bay for at least two years. Ruth Joy (64 years old), a West Sussex-based retired teacher assistant, was diagnosed in 2006 with advanced slow-growing ovarian carcinoma.
Dr Susana Banerjee is a consultant oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and also a researcher at The Institute of Cancer Research in the treatment of gynaecological tumors.
“We knew that shrinkage could be achieved by targeting specific signals, but it was amazing to see the results in person and give my patients another chance.
Every year, more than 71,000 women are diagnosed in the UK with ovarian carcinoma.
When it is caught early, prognosis can be good with 95% of patients living at least 5 years. However, once the disease spreads, this drops to 15%.
Major surgery, which involves the removal of the entire tumour and all organs that may be affected by the disease, is the most common treatment.
This involves the removal of reproductive organs such as the fallopian tubes and womb. The combination of hormone therapy and chemotherapy to stop the growth of undiscovered tumours, as well as cancer cell killing treatments, is called Chemotherapy.
Every year, more than 7,000 UK women are diagnosed with ovarian carcinoma. If it is caught early, the prognosis for ovarian cancer patients is excellent. 95% of them live at least 5 years. However, once the disease spreads, this drops to 15%. (File Image)
This is a treatment that can be used in most cases. However, about one-tenth of women will develop a resistant type of tumor that spreads rapidly to other parts.
These patients have what’s known as low-grade serous ovarian cancer – tumours that grow slowly on the surface of tissues.
Dr Banerjee says that the cancerous cells can be bypassed by chemotherapy.
Doctors can provide targeted treatments to stop cancer cells from getting blood.
However, the symptoms of a serous tumor are slow to develop, so most patients will be diagnosed in the late stages.
If cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, you may be able to pursue further chemotherapy or hormone therapy. These rarely work.
Half of patients who participated in the trial with combination drugs saw tumors shrinkage, while only 13% experienced the same effect with standard chemotherapy.
Participants continued taking the drug for as long they were effective. Even after two years, tumors still shrink in about half of those who took it.
Although the trial involved only 25 patients, it was a small one. A second study is currently underway with a greater number of patients.
The same drug combination is being tested in trials to treat lung cancer.
Ruth Joy (64), a West Sussex-based retired teacher assistant who was first diagnosed in 2006 with slow-growing advanced ovarian carcinoma, is one of the beneficiaries.
Although the treatment was successful, her cancer returned in 2016.
After the initial treatment, the hormone therapy that kept cancer away for 18-months was given to the grandmother of nine.
However, the illness returned eventually and spread to other parts of her body.
Two clinical trials, offering experimental drugs, kept tumours stable for a while, but in May 2020 Ruth found herself out of options with further chemotherapy unlikely to work – until specialists at The Royal Marsden enrolled her on the trial testing the combination of MEK inhibitors and defactinib.
Ruth is still receiving treatment, and her tumors are shrinking more than a full year later.
She says, “I feel so fortunate to have been given another lifeline.”
“It has brought me joy and given me hope. Even though there have been side effects such as fatigue, they have not stopped me from enjoying my daily life.
‘My eldest grandchild is 18 in 2024 – he was born the year I was originally diagnosed – and I’m determined to be around for it.’