Protein levels ‘could be used to assess bowel cancer treatment efficacy’

Comparing levels of a specific protein could help doctors to determine a person's likelihood of benefiting from a common bowel cancer treatment.

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists at the University of Bristol have carried out a study assessing the effect of Roche's drug Avastin among patients with varying levels of the protein VEGF165b.

It was found that those with low levels of VEGF165b survived three months longer without the disease progressing compared to people not treated with Avastin, while patients with higher levels saw no benefit from the treatment.

This discovery could make it substantially easier to determine which subjects would be best suited to Avastin therapy.

Professor David Bates, lead researcher from the University of Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology, said: "We now need to look at cancer samples from a larger group of patients about to start taking Avastin and determine if the amount of VEGF165b can accurately identify those patients that will benefit."

Avastin is one of the most successful cancer therapies of recent years and was recommended for approval in Europe for the treatment of recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer last month.