A new treatment combining AstraZeneca PLC's (LSE:AZN) drug Imfinzi with chemotherapy has shown promising results for people with early-stage stomach and oesophageal cancer, making it less likely that their cancer will return after surgery.
The MATTERHORN trial, a large international study, tested whether adding Imfinzi to standard chemotherapy before and after surgery could improve patient outcomes.
Researchers found that this combination significantly reduced the risk of the cancer coming back compared to chemotherapy alone.
Cancer treatments are often tested in different phases, and phase III trials like this one are the last step before a drug can be approved for widespread use.
The key measure in this trial was "event-free survival," which looks at how long patients live without their cancer returning or worsening. The results showed that the Imfinzi-based treatment helped patients stay cancer-free for longer.
Stomach cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with nearly a million new cases diagnosed every year.
Even with chemotherapy and surgery, many patients see their cancer return.
This study suggests that using immunotherapy - a type of treatment that helps the immune system attack cancer - alongside chemotherapy could improve their chances of staying cancer-free.
The safety of the treatment was also reassuring. Patients did not experience any unexpected side effects beyond those already known for Imfinzi and chemotherapy.
While the trial is still ongoing to assess overall survival, these results mark an important step forward in treating stomach and oesophageal cancers, offering new hope for patients at an earlier stage of the disease.