New drug may fight ovarian cancer

London, June 7 (ANI): A new drug has offered fresh hope to ovarian cancer sufferers.

The drug Avastin can stop the spread of the disease for six months in patients whose cancer has returned.

In a trial, when patients were given it with chemo­therapy and for 15 months after treatment, it stalled the cancer for six months longer than when only chemotherapy was administered.

The women saw their survival rate jump from 12 months with only chemotherapy to 18 months.

Women treated with only chemotherapy showed signs of the cancer worsening after 10 months but this jumped to 14 months with the addition of Avastin.

"We know how important it is for the success of subsequent treatment that we keep ovarian cancer under control for as long as possible after initial chemotherapy," the Daily Express quoted oncology expert Professor Chris Poole, of University Hospital Coventry, as saying.

The results were presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ANI)