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Clinical research fellowship (Curcumin study)
11th April 2011
Title: Can curcumin improve response to chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer?
Awarded to: Lynne Howells
Researcher: Dr Chinenye Iwuji
Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine
Commencement: January 2012
Bowel cancer frequently spreads to the liver, requiring chemotherapy to shrink the tumour. Chemotherapy usually consists of a combination of the drugs fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX), but 40-60% of bowel cancers do not respond.
Increasing laboratory evidence suggests that curcumin (from the spice turmeric) may enhance the ability of oxaliplatin to kill cancer cells, and decrease side-effects caused by oxaliplatin. In this clinical study, we will compare whether taking daily doses of oral curcumin in combination with FOLFOX chemotherapy has any benefit over standard chemotherapy.
We will assess tolerability of curcumin and any difference it may make to expected chemotherapy side-effects, in addition to investigating proteins found in the blood to help us predict how well the treatment is working. If any improvements in treatment or to side-effects are observed, then a larger trial will be undertaken to widen availability of this drug combination to patients within our community.
This project provides a primary clinical endpoint for our ‘bench-to-bedside’ approach, allowing us to translate the extremely promising laboratory findings indicating that curcumin can make chemotherapy more effective, to the clinic, and thus potentially resulting in direct patient benefit.
Scientific version available on request
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