Bowel cancer – responsible for most of all cancer deaths in Europe – has been targeted by researchers at the University of Leicester and the UK’s National Institute for Health and Social Care Research, as they launch the first ever, groundbreaking new trial. It is there that they will test whether a naturally occurring chemical in red grapes and red wine may prevent bowel cancer from developing.
Bowel Cancer
Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, begins in the colon or rectum and is the second most deadly cause of cancer in Europe. In 2022, there were more than 362,000 new diagnoses with bowel cancer in the region while approximately 161,000 patients died from the disease. Red wine has been touted as a healthy drink for decades, but alcohol intake does bring some risk for cancer; thus, scientists focused on resveratrol in its purified, alcohol-free form.
A clinical trial began this week, with 1,300 patients from all of England and Wales admitted already so that polyps-the small growths which may be cancerous-can be removed. The patients will be randomly allocated into one of the four treatment groups: aspirin, aspirin combined with metformin utilized in treating high blood pressure and diabetes, purified resveratrol or a placebo.
This study is based on the promising preliminary-stage work of Karen Brown, head of the Leicester Cancer Research Centre. The preliminary research was able to demonstrate the inhibition of cell growth in both mice and samples of human tissues when even small doses of purified resveratrol were applied. It is through its anti-inflammatory mechanism that resveratrol is considered to function in order to stop the promotion and proliferation of cancerous cells.
The researchers now treat patients who have had polyps removed to see if such treatments, which include resveratrol, may reduce bowel cancer risk in patients. Professor of molecular gastroenterology at the University of Leeds, Mark Hull, explains: “Removing polyps reduces the risk of bowel cancer, but it doesn’t rule out the potential for recurrence.”. In that respect, the scientists are testing if therapeutic treatments may also be a sort of adjunct protection mechanism.
The development in the light of research may eventually allow that preventive treatments are made available to patients who would eventually have their bowel cancer screened. It could potentially reduce the risk factors for developing polyps and thereby cancer in some people. Results are still quite some years off, but the clinical study is one step closer to making this a reality. As Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, relates: “This trial opens the door to a new era of cancer research” with prevention through scientific innovation becoming possible.
