Funding outcome

Cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer among women worldwide and the gynecological cancer among Canadian females with the fastest-increasing incidence. Around half of cervical cancer patients treated with life-saving radiation therapy experience chronic bowel problems, which greatly impact the women’s quality of life. Indeed, in around 10% of survivors the symptoms are severe and, in some cases, can have life threatening consequences. After the traumatic experience of cancer diagnosis and therapy, patients want to embrace life after successful treatment. Yet during radiation therapy for cervical cancer, a small volume of the lower part of the colon, despite the best efforts and the most advanced technologies, also receives some of the radiation dose. This changes the lining and the blood vessels in the irradiated area. As we and others found, even if the lining seems to be healed, chronic inflammation persists. In some patients this inflammation was still observed 20 years after treatment. Current strategies are mostly directed to mitigate the symptoms. The discovery of strategies to prevent or reduce the incidence of chronic colon radiation damage was hampered by the lack of a suitable animal model. Previous mouse models were geared to study acute effects, and the animals did not survive long enough to develop the same late effects as patients. Over the last three years we developed a new mouse model that leads to chronic bowel inflammation. We did so by using focal irradiation, i.e. irradiating just a very small part of the colon (similar to what happens to women treated for cervical cancer). Now we will test whether the combination of two drugs – both already tested in the clinic for other uses – can reduce the incidence and severity of long-lasting colon damage. The drugs should synergize in healing of the colon lining, by increasing gut repair, preventing excessive scarring and reducing inflammation.