By Admin at 14 Mar 2017, 11:09 AM

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the U.S. and the second leading cause of death from cancer.

The usual treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer includes chemotherapy, radiation and surgical resection. Unfortunately, the average survival rate has been only 20-24 months.

In a Gateway-funded clinical trial led by Dr. Edward Lin, a survival rate of approximately 94+ months was achieved using a new approach called ADAPT – Activate tumor from Dormancy And Potentiate its Targeting.

Dormant cancer stem cells resist chemotherapy and survive to grow new tumors. The ADAPT method “wakes up” the stem cells so they become vulnerable to chemotherapy. In the pilot study, the cells were exposed to both a chemotherapeutic assault and a common anti-inflammatory drug which damaged their ability to act as stem cells. The improved survival rate indicated there may be an advantage for a non-surgical approach.

Meet Lee Thompson, Colorectal Cancer Survivor

When Lee Thompson first learned he had colorectal cancer, it was a shock, but he had a feeling that his battle with cancer was going to change his life — not end it. He was right.

For Thompson, participation in a Gateway-funded clinical trial led by Dr. Edward Lin was indeed life-changing. He responded well to the trial’s novel combination drug therapy for advanced stage colorectal cancer and is now in clinical remission!

When diagnosed as advanced metastatic disease, colorectal cancer is traditionally associated with a poor prognosis, with 5-year survival rates in the range of 5 to 8 percent.

In contrast, about 40 percent of Dr. Lin’s patients have achieved complete or near complete responses, with little or no detectable presence of cancer. Even more encouraging is that Dr Lin’s therapy has extended patients’ lives to a median survival of 92.7 months, all while avoiding the traditional and more toxic regimen of intravenous chemotherapy. Hear more about this groundbreaking trial in the video below.

Together, We Can Shape a World in Which a Cancer Diagnosis is No Longer Feared!

There's still time to help more patients like Lee Thompson. Your support helps Gateway to expand its commitments to patients and doctors by increasing our investments in breakthrough cancer research. Thanks to our compassionate and generous supporters, Gateway can help people living with cancer to feel better, live longer and conquer cancer, TODAY!

"I know somehow that this is meant to change my life, not end my life." - Lee Thompson

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