Source: National Cancer Centre Singapore, 2010 Media Releases
Date: 03 Aug 2010

• Clinical trial will evaluate the efficacy of adding three years of oral Aspirin on top of standard chemotherapy for colorectal cancer
• Study addresses an important scientific question that needs to be answered
• A positive result in this trial will change the treatment for this common disease and establish a new standard of care that will save many lives -both in developed as well as the developing world

Oncologists at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) are undertaking a mammoth task of leading an investigator-initiated multi-centre phase III clinical trial across Asian countries to evaluate the efficacy of Aspirin in reducing the risk of recurrence of colorectal cancer post surgery and chemotherapy.

Read more: NCCS to lead Asian phase III clinical trial that will have potentially great impact on colorectal cancer

Source: Channel News Asia, Singapore News
Date: 1 June 2010

Singapore researchers have made a breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer.

They have found a new combination of drugs that promises to cut the costs of therapy and reduce the side effects.

Two years of hard work have finally paid off.

A clinical study - conducted between July 2005 and September 2006, and involving 30 patients - by the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore has yielded promising results, by combining two common drugs to treat breast cancer.

Local researchers found that by giving patients a three-day course of an anti-fungal drug known as ketoconazole, they were able to reduce the dosage of the chemotherapy drug, docetaxel, by half.

The anti-fungal drug stops a key enzyme (CYP3A4) from causing the body to break down docetaxel.

This new treatment was observed to be as effective as giving patients only docetaxel at higher doses.

A standard treatment course of docetaxel alone would require about 120 to 140 milligrams. But by combining the drugs, patients are only administered 70 milligrams.

As the chemotherapy drug is expensive, a reduced dosage means cost savings for patients.

Dr Lee Soo Chin, principal investigator, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, said: "Each cycle of this chemotherapy, if given in standard doses, would probably cost the patient approximately S$1,800 to S$2,500 every three weeks, but with the new combination, because of the lower dose, it may cost the patient only about S$1,200 to S$1,400, so that would be savings of about 40 - 50 per cent."

By combining the two drugs, patients were also found to have fewer side effects. For example, 70 per cent of breast cancer patients who are given the standard dosage of docetaxel suffer from extremely low blood counts. But with the new drug combination, only 30 per cent of patients were found to have suffered from this side effect.

Inter-ethnic differences also emerged from the study. Chinese patients responded the most to the addition of the anti-fungal drug, resulting in the slowest breakdown of docetaxel by the body, while Indians responded the least.

Dr Lee said the drug combination could potentially be used to treat other cancers, such as lung, stomach and prostate cancers. But Dr Lee cautioned that the drugs may not be suitable for patients with poor liver function.

The research team said that two more studies are in the pipeline. The first study will look at how a patient's body surface area and blood protein level influence the breakdown of docetaxel, and adjust the dosage of the drug accordingly.

In the second study, the team will recruit 72 healthy volunteers across the four races - Chinese, Malay, Indian, Caucasian - to compare the effects of ketoconazole on the key enzyme CYP3A4.

Read more: Local study on advanced breast cancer shows that required dosage of chemotherapy drug can be halved if combined with anti-fungal drug.

Source: The Jakarta Post, Body and Soul
Date: 24 Feb 2010 11:47AM
Dr. Alex Chang, Singapore

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrollable abnormal growth of transformed cells invading healthy tissues in our body. It is a major health concern not only among Asians but people worldwide.

In the medical profession and realm of research, a war on cancer is being waged. This “war on cancer” essentially involves using research to improve the understanding of cancer biology in the hope of creating more effective treatments for patients.

You might ask, “Is medical science making advances in cancer research and treatments that are making a difference?”

Read more: Health sense: Are we winning the war against cancer?

Source: The Strait Times, A02
Date: 01 Feb 2010

TEACHER Alvin Chew wonders if his father, who died of blood cancer last year, would still be alive today if he had been admitted to a clinical trial. Such trials sometimes allow patients access to drugs that have yet to be commercially available.

As medical care in Singapore improves, its attraction to large pharmaceutical companies needing to carry out fast and high-quality studies of their new medication has gone up as well.

This gives patients here a chance at cutting-edge medicines that could make a difference between recovery and death.

But as Mr Chew, 39, found out, it is not easy for a patient to learn about such trials. He had asked the oncologist about such trials, when his father was not responding to the standard treatment. But the private doctor was not very helpful.

That is not surprising, since the majority of such trials are done in the public sector. It is possible that the oncologist was not aware of the relevant trials that were being carried out here, since the information is not easy to come by.

This is unlike the situation in countries like the United States, where all clinical trials are listed. A clinical trials registry provides information on what the purpose of the trial is, who is heading it, where it is being done, who may participate, and a phone number for people to contact.

Read more: Local info on clinical trials can help patients