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New Therapeutic Treatment Approach Improves Survival in Oesophageal Cancer Patients ORLANDO, Fla -- October 6, 2008 -- A new therapeutic treatment, when delivered endoscopically and used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, improved survival rates in patients with locally advanced oesophageal cancer, according to a study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Kenneth Chang, MD, University of California Irvine Medical Center, Irvine, California, and colleagues conducted a phase 2 multicentre study on the safety and long-term efficacy of an injection of an anti-tumour agent (TNFerade), in 24 patients with locally advanced oesophageal cancer. Patients received standard care chemotherapy and radiation. In addition, the patients received the agent through a standard endoscope or endoscopic ultrasound that guided the injection directly into the oesophageal tumour. The agent was administered once a week for a total of 5 treatments. Surgery was performed 5 to 11 weeks after completion of therapy. Researchers monitored the effects of this combined therapy by observing the side effects, tumour response, and overall survival. Researchers found most tumours were of the adenocarcinoma type. These tumours were locally advanced but still potential candidates for surgery. The agent in combination with chemoradiation in this group of patients resulted in a median survival of 48.4 months, in contrast to previously published trials showing a median survival of 9.7 to 34 months. At one particular dose all 4 of the patients were alive without any recurrence at 48 months. Three of these patients had tumour resections, which showed no residual cancer cells in the surgical specimens. "This new treatment, in combination with chemoradiation in this group of patients, represents an encouraging increase in survival relative to historical controls, and therefore, warrants additional evaluation," said Dr. Chang. "[This agent] is a promising treatment that represents a new paradigm in oesophageal cancer treatment, with the gastroenterologist administering the local anti-tumour agent through a scope." SOURCE: American College of Gastroenterology E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version