Of the 18 patients on the trial, 14 could be assessed for any effect on their tumours with a CT or MRI scan 54 days after beginning the treatment. Among these patients, one had a complete response (disappearance of tumour), three showed a partial response (at least 30% reduction in the tumour targeted by radiotherapy), nine had stable diseases (no growth in the tumour) and one patient stopped treatment because of an infection and had progressive disease (at least 20% growth in the tumour).
Dr Kinsella added: "This clinical trial showed that when patients take IPdR at home before coming for radiation treatment, the level of IUdR in their bloodstream is high enough to make radiation more effective at killing cancer cells. It also showed that the dose of IPdR needed to achieve therapeutic levels of IUdR in the blood causes minimal side effects.
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"However, this trial was with patients who had recurrent cancer and had already received a number of other cancer treatments. In newly diagnosed patients, it could be that we can safely use a higher dose and have a bigger effect on tumours."
Dr Kinsella and his colleagues are already studying the effects of IPdR in patients receiving whole brain radiotherapy for cancer that has spread to the brain. Following this trial, plans are in progress to study the drug in patients who have been newly diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Professor Eric Deutsch, professor of radiation oncology and head of the radiation oncology department and research unit at the Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, is a member of the EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium scientific committee and was not involved with the research. He said: "Radiotherapy is a vital element in treating many forms of cancer. This research is investigating whether the IPdR drug could make radiotherapy even more effective for more patients.
"In treating cancer patients, we must always consider the risks and benefits of any therapy. In this study, the risks of the IPdR drug were minimal, and the benefit was that it can be taken by patients at home. We don't have enough evidence yet on whether IPdR can improve patient outcome, but we hope that this will become clearer as the research continues."
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