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Thomas Jefferson University has started recruiting patients for anew National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored clinical trial totest whether the cholesterol-reducing drug rosuvastatin iseffective in the prevention of recurrent colon cancer . Previous laboratory research and population studies have shown thatpatients taking statins, the class of drugs that lowers cholesterol , had fewer colon polyps, which can lead to cancer if left untreated. However, those findings come largely fromretrospective, observational studies originally designed toinvestigate lipid-lowering or cardiovascular endpoints in the shortterm rather than tumor endpoints. "The jury is still out, and we need to get definitive answers,"said Bruce Boman, M.D., Ph.D, professor of medical oncology atThomas Jefferson University and principal investigator for thenational clinical trial. "This prospective design comparing astatin against a placebo is what is needed to address the question:Are statins effective chemoprevention agents or not?" This five-year, nationwide study will be the first randomized,prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blind study to evaluate thedrug's role in preventing colon cancer and will involve 1,740patients in total. Conducted by a network of cancer research professionals from theNational Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) at 400medical centers across North America, including Jefferson, thestudy involves patients who have recently been diagnosed with earlystage colon cancer, and who were not already taking statins forhigh cholesterol. Those recruited have been surgically treated forstage I and II colon cancers previously. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Each groupwill take one pill a day for five years. One group will receiverosuvastatin, while the other group will receive a placebo. The cumulative incidence for developing colorectal adenomas threeyears after surgery/treatment for early stage colon cancer is 50percent. Thus, the benefit/risk ratio for chemopreventionintervention is potentially very positive in this high-riskpopulation. "There will be an estimated 102,900 new cases of colon cancer inthe United States this year," said Norman Wolmark, M.D., NSABP'schairman. "In fact, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in thiscountry. We hope this trial will be an important step in reducingthese numbers." The principal investigator for the trial at Jefferson is ScottGoldstein, M.D, director of the Division of Colon and RectalSurgery at Thomas Jefferson University. March 2011 is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Source: Thomas Jefferson University Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Indoor Artificial Grass , China Football Artificial Grass, and more. For more , please visit Golf Artificial Grass today!
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