Hope over gynaecological cancer research findings

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Several studies offer hope of significant advance in the care of gynaecological cancers, a European conference has heard.

Results from a series of phase 3 clinical trials into gynaecological cancers have been presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress.

The findings from two cervical trials will show new ways of treating locally advanced cervical cancer that significantly delay relapse, giving women more time free of cancer.

In one study, 68% of women who received the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab on top of standard treatment were cancer-free at two years, compared to 57% of women allocated to placebo on top of standard treatment.

The second study to be presented at the Congress, which is being held in Madrid, Spain, tested the impact of induction chemotherapy, a combination of two different chemotherapy drugs ahead of standard treatment with chemotherapy plus radiation.

Women with locally advanced cervical cancer who received induction chemotherapy were 35% more likely to be cancer-free at five years and 39% more likely to be alive at five years compared to those who received standard treatment only.