Researchers in China have discovered that a platinum-based drug could play a valuable role in treating metastatic oesophageal squamous cell cancer, it was revealed on Saturday (21st February).

Scientists from the Department of Medical Oncology at Xi'an Jiaotong University conducted a number of tests to see the effect of combining oxaliplatin with capecitabine in tackling the disease.

The results, which were published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, revealed that out of 64 patients whose response could be measured, the overall median survival was ten months.

In addition, the partial response was 43.8 per cent, stable disease rate was 47.9 per cent, the disease progression rate was 15.6 per cent and the clinical benefit rate was an impressive 84.4 per cent.

Professor Zhao, one of the lead researchers, said: "Capecitabine was given orally twice daily on days one to 14 in a 21-day treatment cycle.

"It showed that this treatment can be given on an outpatient basis, therefore the economic burden of the patients can be reduced."

In the tests, capecitabine, which is the prosoma of 5-FU, had the slighter side effect, while oxaliplatin had a synergistic effect with 5-FU and less digestive tract reaction and hematotoxicity.

The development is significant as conventional surgery is usually considered to be the best treatment of metastatic oesophageal squamous cell cancer, but many sufferers are inoperable at the time of prognosis.

Oxaliplatin is already used to great effect in the treatment of colon and rectum cancer, plus other solid tumours.



Source:

A safe, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for metastatic esophageal cancer (23/02/09)
http://www.physorg.com/news154620008.html