Breakthrough in anal cancer treatment
A kinder treatment for anal cancer involving a lower dose and shorter course of radiotherapy is more effective than traditional treatment, a clinical trial led by Leeds researchers has found.
Patients and clinicians have welcomed the results of the ACT4 PLATO trial, which was the first clinical trial in the world to randomly assign patients with anal cancer to receive different doses of radiotherapy.
The results will transform the lives of patients with early stage anal cancer by using a shorter, lower dose of radiotherapy that does not compromise cure rates and reduces the side effects of treatment.
— Professor David Sebag-Montefiore
Read the research newsImpact
- Improved cancer treatment: long-term results showed that 88 out of 100 (87.6%) patients were successfully treated and remained free of cancer three years later
- Health impact: reduction in treatment burden for patients and healthcare systems.
Key information
- Major funders: Cancer Research UK, Stand Up to Cancer
- Partners and collaborators: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Disciplines: medicine and health, oncology
- Investigators: Professor David Sebag-Montefiore, Dr Alexandra Gilbert.
The researchers, led by Professor David Sebag-Montefiore in Leeds’ School of Medicine, found that a lower dose and shorter course of radiotherapy is more effective than traditional treatment.
The current standard of care for anal cancer is radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy over five-and-a-half weeks. Although this results in relatively high cure rates, patients often experience significant side effects.
The research has the potential to change clinical practice for anal cancer treatment internationally, reducing treatment burden for patients and healthcare systems, after 30 years of a largely unchanged approach.
Funded by Cancer Research UK and Stand Up to Cancer, the trial’s long-term results showed that 88 out of 100 (87.6%) patients were successfully treated and remained free of cancer three years later. In the standard-dose group, it was 84 out of 100 (83.6%).
Patients on the shorter course of treatment also reported fewer side effects, which can include sore skin, diarrhoea, incontinence, fatigue, vaginal irritation and loss of sexual function.
Keywords: cancer, oncology, cancer research, anal cancer, cancer treatment, cancer trial, NHS