Success in predicting cancer treatment

Scientists have developed a way to predict whether tumours will respond to treatment.

Researchers, from the Institute of Cancer Research and the University of Surrey, focused on rectal cancer. They have developed a method that is able to predict whether a tumour might respond to chemotherapy and radiotherapy before treatment is undertaken.

The key is to study the density of the cells in the cancer tumour. ‘This could be vital in determining appropriate treatments for patients in the future,’ said Dr Andrzej Dzik-Jurasz.

The researchers found that patients with higher cell density tumours were more likely to respond positively to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Researcher Dr Andrzej Dzik-Jurasz said: ‘This study has shown that understanding the make-up of a tumour could allow us to predict how the cancer will respond to treatment. This could be vital in determining appropriate treatments for patients in the future.’

Researchers studied the density of the cells using a sophisticated imaging technique, which measures the motion of water molecules within a cell.

Sir Paul Nurse, chief executive of Cancer Research UK said: ‘This work is important in understanding the behaviour of tumours, why some respond to treatment while others don’t. We hope that further research will lead to more effective treatments for patients.’

Further research will be carried out to establish how the findings can be used to help patients with advanced rectal cancer, and whether they may also be relevant in the treatment of other forms of the disease.