Treatment plan for cervical cancer cuts risk of death by 40%

A new treatment regime for cervical cancer cuts the risk of death by 40%, according to a large-scale study.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospital (UCLH) have completed a long-term follow up of patients given a short course of chemotherapy before chemoradiation (a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy).

The findings, which follow on from those first presented in October 2023, show a 40% reduction in the risk of death and a 35% reduction in the risk of cancer coming back within at least five years.

At the time of the initial results, Cancer Research UK hailed the shift as the biggest improvement in cervical cancer treatment in more than 20 years.

Chemoradiation has been the standard treatment for cervical cancer since 1999, but despite improvements in care, cancer returns in up to 30% of cases.

The Interlace phase III trial, funded by Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre, looked at whether a short course of induction chemotherapy prior to chemoradiation could cut relapses and death among patients with locally advanced cervical cancer that had not spread to other organs.

The results, published in The Lancet, are so clear that experts are calling for the regime to be used across the UK and internationally.

Dr Mary McCormack, lead investigator of the trial from UCL Cancer Institute and UCLH, said: “This approach is a straightforward way to make a positive difference, using existing drugs that are cheap and already approved for use in patients.

“It has already been adopted by some cancer centres and there’s no reason that this shouldn’t be offered to all patients undergoing chemoradiation for this cancer.”

The trial team recruited 500 patients over 10 years from hospitals in the UK, Mexico, India, Italy and Brazil.

Patients were randomly allocated to receive either standard treatment or the new treatment combination.

After five years, 80% of those who received a short course of chemotherapy first were alive and 72% had not seen their cancer return or spread.

In the standard treatment group, 72% were alive and 64% had not seen their cancer return or spread.

Researchers said that five patients involved in the trial have been disease-free for more than 10 years.

Professor Jonathan Ledermann, senior author of the study from UCL Cancer Institute, said: “The incremental cost for using the drugs in the Interlace trial is low, making this a new treatment that can be easily implemented in all health economies, to significantly improve overall survival.”

Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: “Timing is everything when you’re treating cancer.

“The simple act of adding induction chemotherapy to the start of chemoradiation treatment for cervical cancer has delivered remarkable results in the Interlace trial.

“A growing body of evidence is showing that additional chemotherapy before other treatments, like surgery and radiotherapy, can improve the chances of successful treatment for patients.

“Not only can it reduce the chances of cancer coming back, it can also be delivered quickly, using drugs already available worldwide.”