Chemotherapy May Not Benefit Some People With Colon Cancer, New Canadian Cancer
Society Research Suggests


Canada NewsWire


July 16, 2003

A team of researchers funded in part by the Canadian Cancer Society has shown
genetic testing may help some people with colon cancer avoid unnecessary
chemotherapy treatment. The findings are published in the latest issue of the
prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

Canadian Cancer Society researcher Dr. Steven Gallinger and his team of
international researchers have found that chemotherapy does not appear to be
effective for the approximately 17 percent of colon cancer patients with a
specific genetic feature in their tumour, called high-frequency microsatellite
instability. In fact, this research shows that among such patients chemotherapy
may do more harm than good.

"This is important news because it demonstrates what we've known all along -
that not all colon cancers are the same and not all can be treated in the same
way," says Dr. Michael Wosnick, Canadian Cancer Society research spokesperson.

"Step by step, we're learning more about colon cancer and this discovery means
some people could be spared the ordeal of chemotherapy," adds Dr. Wosnick, who
is executive director of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

Dr. Gallinger's findings build on his previous discovery that higher survival
rates are associated with tumour microsatellite instability. The Canadian Cancer
Society also funded this work.

In his current study, Dr. Gallinger's research team examined 570 tissue samples
from colon cancer patients who were randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy or
not receive the treatment. They determined that in patients with microsatellite
instability, chemotherapy following surgery to remove the tumour was not
effective in increasing patients' five-year survival.

Dr. Gallinger, also a surgical oncologist at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and
Princess Margaret Hospital, cautions that further studies are needed before
changes can be recommended for clinical cancer care, but he is hopeful.

"We now know that a simple genetic test could better inform colon cancer
patients on whether or not chemotherapy will improve their likelihood of better
survival. This is a major step towards personalized cancer care."

Colon cancer is Canada's second leading cause of cancer death. It is estimated
that 18,000 new cases will be diagnosed and more than 8,000 will die from the
disease in 2003. The Canadian Cancer Society has provided more than $1.7 million
in funding to Dr. Gallinger's cancer research over the past decade.

The Canadian Cancer Society is a national, community-based organization of
volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of
life of people living with cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society is the largest
charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. Excellent research is funded
through a rigorous national review process managed by its research partner, the
National Cancer Institute of Canada. When you want to know more about cancer,
call our information service toll-free at 1 888 939-3333.


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