Drug improves survival of patients with rare cancer by almost a quarter

Patients who take capecitabine after surgery for bile duct cancer live for almost a year and a half longer than those not given the drug, according to the results of a Cancer Research UK funded trial presented at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago. The BILCAP trial is one of the first to look at testing treatments for bile duct cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma) and gall bladder cancer following surgery. This is because for rare conditions like bile duct cancer it is difficult to recruit enough patients to clinical trials. The researchers are now calling for capecitabine to be given to all patients after surgery. In the study, around half of the 450 patients were given capecitabine for six months after surgery, and the other half only had surgery.

See original article at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/cancer-news/press-release/2017-05-17-drug-improves-survival-of-patients-with-rare-cancer-by-almost-a-quarter