A groundbreaking new method in treating cervical cancer could lead to lower rates of death and disease recurrence, researchers have told The National.
The new method, involving a short, intensive burst of chemotherapy before the main course of chemoradiation treatment, has been hailed as the most significant advance in the treatment of cervical cancer in more than two decades.
“The trial is expected to change current clinical practice … for women with cervical cancer which hasn’t spread to other parts of the body,” Samuel Godfrey, research information lead at Cancer Research UK, told The National.
“The burst of chemotherapy can be delivered with existing, cheap drugs so could be adopted into clinical practice quickly.”
During the ESMO medical conference, scientists said that the new approach had reduced the risk of death and recurrence of the disease by 35 per cent.
A total of 500 women participated in the trial, receiving either the new treatment or the usual chemoradiation. Eighty per cent of the women who underwent the new treatment were alive five years later and 73 per cent had not experienced a recurrence or spread of the disease.
“Timing is everything when you’re treating cancer,” said Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK.
“The simple act of adding induction chemotherapy to the start of chemoradiation treatment for cervical cancer has delivered remarkable results in this trial.”
He expressed hope that this strategy of short courses of induction chemotherapy would be swiftly adopted in clinical practices.
And this approach is not limited to the treatment of cervical cancer alone.
“Short bursts of chemotherapy before the main course of treatment are being shown to be effective in other cancers,” Dr Godfrey said.
“For example, the Cancer Research UK-funded FOxTROT trial found that a burst of chemotherapy before surgery for colon cancer reduced the chances of it coming back by 28 per cent within two years.
“There is a growing evidence base for this in many types of cancer.”
This growing body of evidence could herald a new phase in cancer treatment strategies, utilising existing, inexpensive drugs to improve outcomes across various types of cancer.
However, the practical aspects and potential side effects of this new treatment method must also be taken into consideration.
Despite its effectiveness, not every woman with cervical cancer will experience the same beneficial outcomes, and potential side effects such as nausea and hair loss could be possible deterrents.
But with thousands of women being affected by cervical cancer annually, this breakthrough could signify a monumental shift in improving survival rates and the overall efficacy of treatment protocols.
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
