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The Singapore government has approved a new drug to treat advanced colorectal cancer that may spell several more months of life for patients, according to a release issued by the Singapore Medicine in the city recently.
Avastin from Roche is a new class of drug that acts differently from any other treatment. It cuts the flow of blood to the tumour, preventing it from spreading.
The release said colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in Singapore, with the number of cases tripling over the past 20 years. More than 100 cases are diagnosed a month and it kills 11 people a week, it added.
Describing Avastin as an exciting new drug, Dr Tan Yew Oo, an oncologist in private practice, said he used the drug on eight patients last year before the government gave general approval.
The drug, when used together with conventional chemotherapy, is able to both prolong and improve the quality of life. Dr Tan said patients on the drug could eat and sleep better and were in less pain.
Clinical trials by Roche showed that Avastin plus chemotherapy delayed death by an average of five months, and gave patients more than four months when the cancer did not get worse.
The drug is currently approved for use only for patients whose cancer is advanced and has spread beyond the colorectal area. Such patients have less than 50 per cent chance of survival.
The only drawback is the high cost. The amount of drug needed depends on a person's weight and height. For most people in Singapore, it costs about S$6,000 to S$7,000 a month.
Dr Koo Wen Hsin, head of medical oncology at the National Cancer Centre, Singapore said: "Avastin offers new hope to patients who have run out of chemotherapy options."
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