Testing whether statins can improve the response rate of rectal cancer treatment
Background
Rectal cancer is often treated by chemotherapy and radiation before surgery, but if the cancer responds poorly to treatment, many patients will relapse. Previous studies have shown that people taking statin drugs have better treatment responses and fewer side effect during radiation. Statins are a class of drug used to treat high cholesterol.
The research
Professor Ackland is leading the SPAR trial, a randomised phase 2 trial which will test whether taking a statin for 3 months (during and after treatment) improves the response of a rectal tumour to radiation and chemotherapy. The trial will also determine whether adding statins to chemo-radiation can reduce the toxicity and side effects of this treatment regime. There are 222 patients from Australia and New Zealand now enrolled in the trial.