New drug for advanced bowel cancer can increase patients' lives by six weeks

Patients on Zaltrap lived 13.5 months compared to 12 months with a placebo

Zaltrap will be offered to patients who have not responded to chemotherapy

At 30 months, survival rates were almost double for those on the drug

It also improves the time patients lived before their cancer progressed

Beating Bowel Cancer CEO hails the findings as 'excellent news'

A drug can prolong the lives of patients with advanced bowel cancer by six weeks.
Patients taking the medication lived an average of 13.5 months compared to 12 months if given a placebo.

Zaltrap, which cuts off the blood supply to tumours, has now been licensed for use in the late stages of the disease. It will be offered to people who have not responded to chemotherapy.

Mark Flannagan, CEO of Beating Bowel Cancer, said: 'This is excellent news. We welcome any treatment which gives new hope to and improves the prospects of patients living with metastatic colorectal cancer in the UK. '

Results from the study of 1,266 patients also found those given the drug also had an improvement in the time they lived before their cancer progressed - 6.9 months compared with 4.7 months for those on a placebo.

Read More -  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2287613/New-drug-advanced-bowel-cancer-increase-patients-lives-weeks.html?ito=feeds-newsxml