Clinical trial shows positive results for cervical cancer treatment

New research has found that a cancer treatment, when used in conjunction with chemotherapy, can help to extend the lives of women that have been diagnosed with cervical cancer. Avastin has been found to improve the outlook for cervical cancer patients compared to those that are treated with chemotherapy only, according to new data that has been published in the 'New England Journal of Medicine'.

The UK has seen a 15 per cent increase in the number of women being diagnosed with cervical cancer in the last ten years. Despite the increase in the number of women being diagnosed with cervical cancer, few clinical advances have been made in the treatment of the disease. Currently patients are only treated by traditional chemotherapy methods.

A new study has found that adding the target Avastin therapy to chemotherapy for the treatment of cervical cancer, dramatically extended the lives of women diagnosed with the advanced disease. On average, lives were extended by four months, around 30 per cent more than treatment with chemotherapy alone. 

It was also found that the number of patients who responded to treatment increased from 36 per cent to 48 per cent, when patients were given both chemotherapy and Avastin. However, it was found that those women who were treated with Avastin experienced more side effects. Researchers said that the side effects were consistent with previous findings following treatment with Avastin and did not affect patients' quality of life.

Dr Mary McCormack, consultant clinical oncologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “There is a desperate need for more treatment options for advanced cervical cancer, so it is very encouraging to see that Avastin given with chemotherapy extends survival by four months without compromising patients' quality of life.” 

The clinical trial was sponsored by the US National Cancer Institute and is the first to show that Avastin can significantly improve patient outcomes when used as a treatment for advanced cervical cancer.