We are delighted to announce funding to support the extension of the THYmine2 study. This clinical study is investigating whether a test can be created to determine if patients receiving 5FU (fluoropyrimidine), a chemotherapy drug commonly used in the treatment of bowel and stomach cancer, are susceptible to potentially life-threatening side effects.
A significant proportion of patients being treated with 5FU could suffer a reaction, causing a delay in treatment and sometimes dangerous symptoms. On rare occasions, the reaction can be so severe that these symptoms will become life-threatening. If the team of New Zealand-based researchers and clinicians, led by Dr. Nuala Helsby, can determine which patients are likely to have a reaction, their initial dose of 5FU can be adjusted so that they do not suffer adverse effects. Such a test would drastically improve the quality of life for those who would otherwise have had a reaction, and in the most extreme cases, it would save lives.
Thanks to the generosity of Gut Cancer Foundation supporters, funding will be provided for a clinical trials manager to manage the recruitment of patients, allowing the team to extend their work for a further year.
Without the support of the Gut Cancer Foundation’s donors, Dr Helsby’s team would not be able to recruit additional patients, putting years of valuable and potentially life-saving work under threat. Dr Helsby said, “We are incredibly grateful to all the Gut Cancer Foundation supporters who have helped us extend this trial. Without your support, it would not be possible to recruit the number of patients necessary to make sure we have reliable and potentially life-saving results”.