My University researchers have made a breakthrough in chemotherapy that will increase a patient's life expectancy by 20%.
The new treatment has been shown to have a stronger effect on cancer cells, while also providing less side effects for patients.
About the sample
The trial consisted of 3000 cancer patients undergoing a 6-week course of chemo. The types of cancers included breast cancer, liver cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer and kidney cancer. All patients had surgical intervention prior to the chemotherapy treatment.
Half the group followed standard chemotherapy protocols (control) and the other half received the new treatment.
The results
The patients were followed up at six-monthly intervals for 10 years. In the control group, after 5 years 60% of patients had experienced a recurrence of their primary cancer or a secondary cancer. In the group who received the new treatment, only 20% had a recurrence of their primary cancer or a secondary cancer. This shows a significant difference between the two groups.
Importantly, mortality was also reviewed. In the control group 30% of patients had died by the 10-year followup, however only 10% of patients died in the experimental group.