New pathway that prevents bowel cancer treatment from working

Leading scientists at the University of Birmingham have discovered a previously unknown pathway that prevents specific drugs from working in patients with bowel cancer. The research findings pave the way for increasing the number of bowel cancer patients who can be successfully treated, say the scientists. Bowel cancer, also called colorectal cancer, affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum. It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with over 42,000 people diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK. It is also the second biggest cancer killer, with 16,000 people with bowel cancer dying in the UK every year. The University of Birmingham-led research involved the study of 184 tumour samples and medical records of bowel cancer patients participating in the COIN trial, as well as research carried out in mice, cell cultures, and a laboratory model for pre-malignant colorectal cancer. Co-senior author Andrew Beggs, Professor of Cancer Genetics & Surgery at the University of Birmingham, explained: "About 60% of bowel cancers are sensitive to drugs called anti-EGFR inhibitors which work by blocking a key pathway in these cancers.