New oesophageal cancer test 'pioneering'
More personalised treatment could lead to better quality of life
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a test that could improve the lives of patients with oesophageal cancer.
Scientists say it could help match the most appropriate treatment with the patient, offering more personalised medicine.
The disease affects around 430 people in Northern Ireland every year and the number is increasing.
Recently, Queens researchers announced they are working to develop a potential new test to decide the best treatment for triple negative breast cancer.
The same approach has been developed for patients with oesophageal cancer.
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Cambridge say tailoring treatment could lead to more patients having tumours removed, improving their prognosis and quality of life.
Current treatment for oesophageal cancer involves chemotherapy, in the hope of shrinking tumours before follow-up surgery.
Only around one fifth reduce, making it difficult for oncologists to identify the most effective chemotherapy courses, prior to surgery.
Dr Richard Turkington, Senior Clinical Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast said: "The UK has the highest incidence in the world of a particular type of oesophageal cancer called oesophageal adenocarcinoma, with 16,000 cases each year.
"One-third of patients are diagnosed with tumours which have not spread and can be removed by surgery following a course of chemotherapy.
"However, less than one in five patients show evidence of shrinkage from the chemotherapy when their tumour is removed."
"In order to cure more oesophageal cancers we need to identify the most effective treatment for each patient to give them the best chance of all of their cancer being removed.
"At present we apply a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach where everyone gets the same type of chemotherapy before their surgery. But we know that different chemotherapies work better for different patients so we need to match the right treatment to the right patient.
"This test enables us to gain a molecular understanding of each patient’s cancer, which could then inform the decision to select the right chemotherapy to shrink the tumour."