Some cutting-edge cancer research is going on right here in the Upper Peninsula, with
Marquette General Hospital patients having the option to participate in trials of a new colon cancer treatment.
The National Cancer Institute-sponsored study is evaluating a cholesterol drug called rosuvastatin, or Crestor, as a medication that could possibly reduce the risk of colon cancer recurrences in patients who have already had it.
It's being conducted through the
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project, which is a network of cancer researchers at 200 medical centers, including the
Marquette General Cancer Center.
The drug currently is used as a statin, to reduce cholesterol, but previous studies and research have suggested it may help decrease colon polyps, which can lead to colon cancer.
The trial will have 1,740 patients across the network who have been diagnosed with early stage colon cancer, and who were not already on statin drugs for cholesterol.
"There will be an estimated 102,900 new cases of colon cancer in the United States this year. In fact, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in this country. We hope this trial will be an important step in reducing these numbers," says Dr. Norman Wolmark, chairman of the project.
And of those cases, an average of 86 yearly are seen at Marquette General. The patients in the trial are chosen because those with previous colon cancers are at high risk for recurrences, and the hope is that the statin can keep pre-cancerous polyps from developing.
It's not the first time MGHS has participated in such a trial; U.P. women previously participated in clinical trials for tamoxifen and raloxifene as breast cancer prevention treatments.
Writer: Sam EgglestonSource: Norman Wolmark, National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project
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