Key Points:
- Researchers have created organoids from cancer cells to make identifying effective treatments less hit-or-miss.
- One study involved testing personalised drug screenings for biliary tract cancer using organoids from 72 patients for testing with seven chemotherapy drugs.
- Another study found that regular use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a lower chance of developing high-risk and low-risk adenomas, precursors of early onset colorectal cancer.
Researchers have found a new way to reduce the need for trial and error in identifying effective cancer treatments. They have created organoids from cancer cells, which allows them to predict which chemotherapy drugs will work best in individual patients with high accuracy. The findings were presented at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2023 conference in Chicago.
One study involved personalised drug screenings for biliary tract cancer, a lethal cancer that is often found at a late stage, making chemotherapy the only treatment option. The researchers developed organoids derived from 72 patients for testing with seven chemotherapy drugs. They identified the genetic signatures of organoids in response to different drugs and developed gene-panel tests to predict the patient’s treatment response. Drug screening results were first validated in mice that were grafted with the same tumours, and then the results were confirmed in 12 out of the 13 patients treated with the chemotherapy identified by this process.
Another study found that regular use of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a lower chance of developing high-risk and low-risk adenomas, precursors of early onset colorectal cancer. The researchers analysed data related to the use of NSAIDs in 32,058 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II. The women included in the study had at least one lower endoscopy before the age of 50 between 1991 and 2015. Researchers found 1,247 early-onset adenomas, including 290 high-risk cases.
The final study examined the causes of death in 576 patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer between 2004 to 2018 at Massachusetts General Hospital. The study found that deaths from colorectal cancer gradually decreased over time, while deaths from other causes such as other cancers or systemic diseases increased over time. Younger patients, patients with fewer comorbidities, and patients with distant metastatic disease were more likely to die from their colorectal cancer compared to other causes. Researchers say their findings support the idea that the recent modification of screening age for colorectal cancer from 50 to 45 years is a step in the right direction to catch and treat the disease in early stages.
For more information about featured studies, as well as a schedule of availability for featured researchers, please visit www.ddw.org/press.