An “exciting” new cancer drug combination appears to shrink tumours and halt their growth for months, according to an early-stage clinical trial which could mean months of extra life for suffering patients.
UK researchers hailed the promising results from giving two chemotherapy drugs, vistusertib and paclitaxel, in tandem for late stage cancers which have become resistant to conventional treatments.
Though tests are still in their early stages and set up to test safety rather than survival, the trial found over half of patients with ovarian cancer and 35% of those with lung cancer saw their cancers shrink by at least a third.
The team, led by the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, also found the cocktail stopped tumours growing for an average of 5.8 months.
