Vienna: Around 5,000 Austrians a year develop a
colorectal carcinoma, that is to say cancer of the colon or rectum.
Around 5% of these are genetically predisposed and develop Lynch
syndrome, the commonest genetic form of bowel cancer, equating to
approx. 250 cases a year. An international team of researchers,
including scientists from MedUni Vienna's Department of Surgery and
Department of Medicine III, have now discovered that Lynch syndrome
patients who are given the anti-inflammatory drug mesalazine develop
tumours less frequently and the number of tumours that develop
(neoplasia) is significantly reduced.
"On average, 94 out of 100 patients develop tumours but, if they are
given the drug, this number falls to 69," explains Judith
Karner-Hanusch, expert in general, vascular and visceral surgery at
MedUni Vienna. "In turn, the number of tumours drops from an average of
3.1 per patient to 1.4 per patient." This was demonstrated in the mouse
model. The Phase II trial in humans is now about to start. However, the
results are so promising that they are expected to be confirmed says
Christoph Gasche, Head of the Laboratory for Molecular Carcinomas and
member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC). "We should be able to
prove that administration of this drug, already licensed for many
indications, can largely eliminate the hereditary tumour burden for
patients."
The study is being conducted jointly with scientists from Germany,
Poland, Israel, Sweden and the Netherlands and the FWF science fund is
financing the study in Austria to the tune of €500,000.
Risk increased by uterine cancerMesalazine is an amine
derivative of salicylic acid (5-aminosalicylic acid/5-ASA), which is
used as an anti-inflammatory drug in the treatment of chronic
inflammatory bowel conditions (such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative
colitis). It was shown in the animal model that mesalazine reduces the
number of tumours by 50% in hereditary Lynch syndrome.
The risk group for Lynch syndrome includes people in whose family
there has been at least one related patient below the age of 50, in
whose family the disease occurs in at least two subsequent generations
and in whose family there are three members with carcinomas associated
with hereditary forms of bowel cancer (Amsterdam II criteria) – as well
as developing the condition at a young age. Also, emphasises
Karner-Hanusch, uterine cancer (endometrial carcinoma) is a strong
indication of genetic mutations and Lynch syndrome: "Women with uterine
cancer, not to be confused with cervical cancer (Note: HPV), carry a 40%
risk of hereditary bowel cancer and should have themselves tested."
Registration for the Phase II trialVolunteers with hereditary
bowel cancer are still being sought for the Phase II trial at MedUni
Vienna. Anyone who is interested should contact Judith Karner-Hanusch on
Tel.: 01 / 40 400 / 64 920 during the day between 13:00 and 14:45 hrs.
to make an outpatient appointment for an initial discussion.
For information: the mouse model study from 2014 in "Gut" (BMJ Journals): “Mesalazine
and thymoquinone attenuate intestinal tumour development in
Msh2loxP/loxP Villin-Cre mice.” Benedikt Kortüm, Christoph Campregher,
Michaela Lang, Vineeta Khare, Matthias Pinter, Rayko Evstatiev, Gerald
Schmid, Martina Mittlböck, Theresa Scharl, Melanie H Kucherlapati,
Winfried Edelmann, Christoph Gasche. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2014-307663.